Two Sided Mirror
by speedfanatic05
Summary: Strange things are happening to Tim Speedle. Will it harm or help the team? Now COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Two Sided Mirror

Disclaimer: We all know that I don't own any body in Miami, but I do have s3 ...so I'm feeling kinda lucky. The unknown names are mine though.

A/N#1: This is a bit of a departure for me, being that I'm a traditional speed fanatic. But be warned, this is a very different Speed . If you don't like ,feel free to stop reading at any point. I just feel the need to let everyone know that he will be very OOC.

A/N#2: This was an idea that was kicked around by randomwriting and she decided that I would excel at this , and for that, I'm honored ... I hope I can make good on this.

Chapter One - Deception

The sun rose a little too early for Speed as he turned over in his bed, trying his best to shut the penetrating sunlight out of his eyes. Last night had been a blur, caused by one too many shots of whatever he was drinking , and the meeting just hours before , did nothing to lighten his mood; leading him to toss the thoughts around in his mind, and his urge to drink away his decision. As he pushed the covers back on his bed, he sat up, almost angry at the sun. It was just too early for him to have to think.

He crossed his bedroom slowly, letting the feeling return into his legs as the memories of the meeting replayed in his mind. If he accepted this, his life would change forever, but if he didn't, he ran the risk of hurting the ones that he loved, knowing that both had the same effect. Weighing the options, he opened his closet, glancing from one item to the next, not really focusing on what to wear, but more thinking about the situation that led to this rash decision. If he hadn't been there that day, this would be nonexistent, he wouldn't have to choose. But the fact of the matter was , that he had seen and heard something that he wasn't supposed to hear , and now he was the focal point. It all happened too fast for him to process, but before he knew it, he was being approached by agents of the ATF bureau, and a proposition had been made. Now in the brightness of the early Miami morning, Speed had to choose. His friends and co workers, or his life as he knew it. Cursing to himself out loud, he snatched a black top off of the hanger and grabbed the first pair of black slacks. The sooner he could get this day started the better.

/Deception/

The lab was bustling with activity as Speed glided across the atrium , heading for the bank of elevators that would take him to his trace lab. In all of the years that he had been at the Miami-Dade Crime lab, Speed never felt the heaviness that he felt at that moment, it bearing down on him, making breathing harder. He passed Paula without even looking her way, keeping his eyes on his target. She gave him a surprised look as he continued to walk, furrowing her brow at the oddness of that. There wasn't a day that he hadn't come in without speaking. Paula knew that he was somewhat of a loner, but Tim Speedle was never mean on purpose. She shook her head as he boarded the elevator silently and figured that he was just having a bad morning.

Inside the elevator, Speed closed his eyes, trying to remember why he was doing this in the first place. It was for them. His tight knit team mates, the ones he had considered to be apart of his family, the ones that cared about him so much. The ones he would die for in a heartbeat. Dying was one thing, but what he had to do ,starting today, felt like more than dying. With death, there would be a grieving period, loss would manifest itself . But what he had to do was going to rip their hearts out.

Feeling his cell phone vibrate at his side, he shifted his helmet to the opposite hand as he un clipped the phone from his waist. Seeing the caller id, he felt the tension as it gathered in his shoulders, twisting him in different directions. Could he do it? He flipped up the phone and uttered irritably , hoping that he would hear just exactly how he felt.

" Yeah,..."

" I trust you have made your decision?"

" When I said let me sleep on it, I didn't mean give me a call at the crack of dawn. I told you I would let you know," Speed replied as he eyed the floors as they ticked off. He didn't want to enter the lab in this conversation.

" Time is of the essence, Speedle," the voice returned smoothly.

" You keep telling me that. Look, I'll do it. But don't call me on the job again. Matter of fact, I'll get in touch with you from now on, got it?"

Speed heard the voice as it sighed then chuckled slightly before speaking again, " You have no pull here, Speedle, remember that. You will do what I tell you, _got it?" _The tone was mocking ,and Speed grasped at the phone white knuckled.

" Hey , last time I checked, I was requested..."

" You are not our only resource, Speed. Just our best. Do what you have to , but do it. We'll meet again tonight at seven thirty. At Lotus."

" Lotus?" Speed asked as he depressed the button to the locker rooms before it arrived to trace. After passing it, he depressed the button to firearms, knowing that it would give him more time before having to face anyone. " You would pick the place that they frequent."

" Gotta make it look good, Speed," the voice returned laughing. It was humorous to him that Speedle was frustrated. " Don't be late."

Speed heard as the line went dead, then flipped his down. He leaned up against the wall of the elevator with his eyes closed. What had he done?

/Deception/

Calleigh pushed the door open to the trace lab and smiled as she saw Speed with his headphones on, processing evidence. She walked to him, still wearing that dazzling smile, waving at him to get his attention. Sometime ago, she had learned a valuable lesson, don't sneak up on Tim Speedle. When he didn't acknowledge her, she sat the file down on the table, and reached up to tap him, causing him to lift his head away from the task. She motioned for him to take off the headphones and let the smile drop slightly as she looked at him. There was something different about him today.

" Hey you. Are you ignoring us today? You haven't come out of the lab in four hours," she said cheerfully.

" Well , Calleigh, its something called work," Speed returned acidly.

Calleigh let her eyes get wide as she took another look, now she knew that something was wrong.

" Tim, is there anything wrong?"

" No. What makes you think that?"

" It's just... just , you've been acting weird all day."

" Weird? Calleigh, I've been in the lab for four hours. There's nothing weird about that. Don't you have some work that you have to do?"

Calleigh took a step back and stared at him intently, " Speed, what the hell is wrong with you today? I was just ..."

" Just being a busy body. Now , if you don't mind, I have to finish this report before the end of the day," he replied without looking at her. He knew the venom that was in her eyes, and if he looked up, he would lose. She turned without speaking and pulled the door open violently, walking out of the lab quickly. He watched her leave , feeling his heart thumping in his chest as he retained his attention back to the evidence. He sighed heavily and slipped the headphones back on, shutting off the rest of the world.

/Deception/

" UGH! God this is annoying me!" Calleigh screamed as she pulled the slide back on the nine mm to chamber the round. After leaving trace, she headed back to firearms to test the ballistics on the numerous guns that she and Eric had found earlier on a scene. The thoughts about what he had said to her floated in her mind as the round chambered and she centered the gun on the target."Hmph! Busy body."

The sounds of the gun firing drained out the obscenities that she said as she emptied the clip into the target, feeling the hurt that he had perpetrated on her . In all of the years she had known him, Tim had never been outwardly vicious to anyone, least of all her ,and it shocked her to hear the hostility in his voice. Walking to the target, she continued to think about Tim and then shrugged her shoulders, if it was going to be like that, Calleigh decided that she would start handling him with a ten foot pole.

Tbc...

A/N#3: I know, there are like three other stories out there that need my attention, but I just started thinking about this and I had to do it... Let me know what you guys think, and let's be open minded here, lol. I can take criticism if it's **_constructive_**, so if you want to curse me, then um just forget the review. But others, go for what you know! I need feed back ,peeps!


	2. Chapter 2

Two Sided Mirror

Chapter Two -A Family Affair

Speed opened the door to trace, first looking out into the corridor before starting out. He figured by now, Calleigh had told someone about their conversation in trace, so he didn't want to have to explain himself to anyone. He would slip out for just a moment, to go to the break room, then return back to trace to finish up on some paperwork before leaving. This day had been hard, but with luck, he had been able to successfully avoid all contact with them.

He walked into the break room, noticing that thankfully it was empty. The silence of the room echoed in Speed's ears as he thought, causing him to rethink his decision. Could he bear to do this? The ringing of his phone by his side, jarred him out of his query and he grabbed hold of it quickly, already knowing what it was. A call out. Grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator, he turned and walked out of the break room, heading for the trace lab to get his kit.

/A Family Affair/

Speed pulled up to the scene to find two Hummers and Alexx already there, and he closed his eyes, steeling himself before he approached them. He had been lucky so far today to avoid them, but his luck was running out. He walked through the door of the house and glanced in it, getting a preliminary view of the scene. From his vantage point , he could see the two bodies in the foyer, and partial view of one as it jutted out of the kitchen entrance. He took in a deep breath when he saw the blood pools and dropped his head as he saw that the two bodies in the foyer were just children. He could hear the voices of Horatio and Eric as they moved about in the living room, and Calleigh and Alexx as they examined the body in the kitchen. He repositioned the camera on his neck and walked towards the living room, definitely trying to avoid the kitchen. There was just too much confrontation awaiting him in there. Coming to the living room, Speed spotted Horatio and Eric kneeling over a fourth body, a female, by the patio door. He sat his case down and looked through out the entire room, noticing the overturned chairs and yet another large blood pool surrounded by bloody footprints. Horatio looked up at Speed then back to Eric ,getting up slowly. The red haired lieutenant stood in close proximity to Speed as he continued to watch Eric as he stayed with the body.

" Nice of you to join us, Speed. Missed you on the callout this morning," Horatio said as he looked his protege in the eyes, intense blue meeting empty brown. Instantly , Horatio knew that something was different.

" I had pressing business, Delko came didn't he?" Speed returned as he gestured to Eric who looked up briefly at him, then back to the body. He had talked with Calleigh earlier .

" Speed,..."

" Look H, it's one time. I'm here now. So can I get to work?"

Horatio dropped his head and let a small smile drift to his face , glancing back up to him. It wasn't like Speed to be insubordinate to any of his superiors, especially Horatio. He stood aside and allowed Speed to pass, watching as the young CSI came to rest next to the body. There would be a better place and a better time for him to talk to Speed about what just happened.

" Hey, man, what's up with you today?" Eric asked as he looked up from the body to his best friend. A look of concern flooded the Cuban's dark eyes and Speed glanced away, feeling the need to get up.

" Nothing. What do we have?"

"Speed,..."

" Delko, I said nothing! What the hell do we have?" Speed asked as he raised his voice, prompting Eric to look at him with surprise. Horatio stood behind them, holding his trademark black sunglasses in his hand, absently fingering them.

"Gentlemen," he stated calmly, " we have work to do."

Eric glanced to Horatio then back to Speed, nodding . He didn't believe Calleigh when she told him what had happened, but now that he had seen it for himself, he still couldn't quite believe that his best friend was reacting like this. Speed ignored the concern eyes and set to work silently on collecting the evidence. At once , the scene was deathly quiet and Speed took pictures and evidence without speaking a word . After about fifteen minutes, he moved into the kitchen, taking pictures of the house as he moved slowly through it. He came to the kitchen which had been vacated by Calleigh, leaving Alexx there still doing her preliminary exam. She didn't look up as he approached the victim, but she knew that Speed was there.

" Timmy, how's it going?" Alexx asked in her most concerned voice.

" Alexx, what happened here?" Speed said as he ignored the question, making it obvious that he didn't want to chat.

Alexx looked up from the male body to see cold empty brown eyes that replaced the warm sincere eyes that she was used to, it taking the breath out of her. It took her a moment to gather herself, as she let the body down slowly, trying to think. It shocked her to the core to see him in this light.

"Um, victim was shot in the temple, close range, judging by the stippling at the entrance wound. They all seem to have gotten it the same way, except for the children in the foyer. Looks like an execution."

"Anything for me?" Speed asked as he began taking pictures of the kitchen and the body from his kneeling position. Everything seemed out of place here, even the two friends that now occupied the gleaming white room. She felt a shudder as he got up, leaving her view. Alexx fought to remain composed as she answered, " I found something on his clothes, doesn't seem to be anything from the kitchen. I'll get it to you after post."

Speed turned around as he towered over her, sighing hard, " I'd prefer if I could get it now."

"Timmy, I've got to transport, I can get it to you after the post," Alexx returned as she packed up her things, preparing to move to the next body.

" Alexx, would it be so hard for you to let me get this now? You still have two bodies in the foyer to get to. You're not going anywhere right at this moment," Speed said harshly, eliciting an equally harsh glance from her as she turned to face him.

" Look, Tim, I don't know what it is that's bothering you, but I told you that I would get it to you after post, and that's what I mean. So you are just going to have to wait."

" Alexx ,why are you being so difficult?" Speed asked loudly as he held her gaze, " Just let me collect the damn trace and I'll be out of your way."

" Timothy Speedle..." Alexx started before he cut her off.

"Save it Alexx. I'll send Belmontes to get it ," Speed said as he grabbed his kit angrily and walked out of the kitchen, leaving her there with a feeling of coldness and tears in her throat. He started in on the children in the foyer as he heard her sniffling loudly in the kitchen. Closing his eyes once more, he started in on taking pictures. God , he couldn't wait to get out of here.

/ A Family Affair/

" Did anyone notice Speed today?" Eric asked above the pulsating music. Both he and Calleigh had met Alexx at Lotus, one of their favorite hangouts , for drinks . They usually did so after a trying day and this one had proven to be just that. There was something wrong with their friend and it perplexed them all. " He practically bit my head off when I asked him what was wrong, and he snapped at H. That's just something that he doesn't do."

" You think that was bad?" Alexx asked as she picked up her drink, " you should've heard the way he talked to me. He's never talked to me like that, even after dispo day. There's something going on here."

Calleigh nodded and gulped down her Cosmopolitan , nodding, " Did you see what he was wearing today? Tim never wears those types of shirts. And his eyes... My lord, if he was a suspect in a murder, I would have to say unequivocally that he did it."

Calleigh's comment elicited small laughs from the group, but it dissipated in the atmosphere as they thought about what had truly transpired between them and their friend. It was as if some one had kidnaped him and brought a replacement in. He was the exact opposite of the Speed that they had seen no more than twenty four hours ago. The music did nothing to dissuade their feelings and it turn into an awkward silence. The only one brave enough to break it was Alexx, and she did so hesitantly.

" Do you think this has something to do with Nia?"

Eric glanced down at his drink and his hands as he remembered the day that he had found out about Nia. She had been a surprise to all of them , none of them knowing that Speed had fathered a child. But the more she came around, the more they saw a softer more likable side to him. Nia had brought out the best in him. When she left , she took the best part of him with her. It had been a long road back, but Speed had slowly returned to them. Now it seemed as if he was reverting back.

" I don't know Alexx, she's been gone for two years now. He seemed to have gotten over it pretty well," Calleigh offered as she finished her Cosmopolitan. Neither Eric nor Alexx, had touched their drinks in a while, their main concern over riding their need to relax.

" Well , all I know is that the man that we witnessed today is far from the man I called my best friend," Eric said as he glanced up . His expression dropped even more and the ladies followed his gaze to the entrance to the club to see him walking in. He wasn't expecting to see him here tonight, none of them, but here he was. They noticed the same demeanor on his face as he slowly made his way to them, seemingly coming to sit with them, but he turned in a different direction, heading for another part of the club. From his vantage point, Eric could see him as he came to a table and sat down. It was very obvious that he was meeting someone here.

" See , that is what I'm talking about, right there," Calleigh said as she got up quickly. She was slightly tipsy, but not enough to discount her. " Look at him. He's so.. ...so..."

"Anti Speed," Alexx returned as she gazed at him. He still wore the tight black shirt that he had on at work and the five o'clock shadow that he was sporting this morning had started to darken. There was something else that she noticed about him, but this was something different. " Hey, isn't there something missing with him?"

" What ,you mean like his personality?" Eric quipped as he continued to watch him through the sea of people.

" No, he looks different than he did today at work," Alexx said as she peered closer to him.

" Looks like the same asshole to me," Calleigh said as she motioned to the waiter for another drink.

" No, it's something about his appearance... I got it! He cut his hair!" Alexx exclaimed hitting the table. Instead of the thick , dark waves, there was a little less than an inch left on his head, giving him a younger, street look instead of the professional laid back look that they had all grown accustomed to. Alexx shook her head from side to side, this was definitely not the Timmy

that she knew. They watched him more as the time passed, noticing that he ordered nothing, and sat patiently. Then a tall man with short platinum blond hair joined him and they began talking. Alexx watched his body signals and immediately noticed the change. She was looking at an enigma.

/A Family Affair/

He walked into the club, already knowing who was in there , having seen each of their vehicles in the parking lot. Sighing inwardly, he side stepped many people as he made his way to them, trying to maintain tunnel vision as he headed for the table that he was supposed to sit at. He glanced at them , seeing the disappointment in their eyes, but mostly the concern, most likely from his performance this afternoon at work. As hard as it had been, he had to set the wheels in motion.

He sat there waiting for him, waving off the waitresses asking him for drinks, and he thought about the repercussions from the day. It hurt him more that he couldn't explain to them, leaving them to their own facilities to figure out the drastic change. But he hoped that they would never figure it out. He hoped that they would never know his betrayal. It was with that thought that he looked up again and saw a tall man with platinum blond hair as he approached the table. His eyes were a piercing gray and his stature complimented his lean frame, but there was something about this man that spoke volumes as to who he truly was.

"Speed, nice to see that you made it here on time," the man said as sat down, smirking.

" Don't call me that," he glared back. His nickname sounded almost filthy in the man's mouth. He was in no mood for games.

" Fine, like the haircut, Speedle. It's great to see that you are putting you all into this."

"It was necessary. So what's this all about, Preston?" Speed asked as he sat back, glancing nonchalantly at their usual table. He could feel their concern as it traveled through the pulsating beats that filled the air, and for a moment, his heart started to break. He didn't want to do this, but he knew that he had to.

" Things are getting set in motion on our side, so we need a little collateral. To establish trust, we need to provide them with something."

" Something? What are we talking about here? Money?" Speed asked as he looked at his hands. He couldn't bring himself to look at them again.

"No, something far more valuable. Think big, Speedle."

" Look , Preston, I'm not in the mood for games, could you just cut to the chase?" Speed replied getting very agitated.

" I like a man who knows what he wants," Preston said as he turned to look at the table of friends. " But I wonder what they would say if they knew what you were up to?"

He glanced back at them quickly, noticing that they were getting up to leave. It took every inch of him to stay seated where he was.

" You leave them out of it, Preston. This is between you and me. Isn't that how you wanted it?"

" You really care for them , don't you?" Preston asked as he turned his attention to Speed. Speed nodded his head, watching them leave, feeling the disappointment they left behind.

" They are all that I have," he returned as he thought about his daughter. They had been there when she had left .

" Well , I think you better work harder at trying to distancing yourself from them. This could get dirty."

" Don't worry about them. I'll do what it takes," Speed returned.

" Good, cause we don't need any messes on our hands."

" I said ,don't worry about it. Now what is this about collateral?"

" It's the biggest kind," Preston responded as he sat back in his chair. Speed listened intently on his instructions and felt himself descending into darkness. There was no turning back now.

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

Two Sided Mirror

Chapter 3- Break in

Before he got up , it hit him like a brick in the chest. The heaviness caved it in ,making it harder to breathe. Feeling his pulse racing, he lifted his hand to his face to feel sweat as it poured off of his face. The sheets that he was now tangled up in, were soaking wet from it. He tried to slow his breathing, but it became apparent that he was unable to do it. Closing his eyes, he tried to remember her , long straight dark hair, deep brown eyes, devilish smile, and her angelic voice. Soon he calmed down long enough to untangle himself from the sheets and threw his feet over the sides of his bed, holding his head in his hands. He could hear the echos of her as he trodden to the bathroom, his heart still running a marathon. Despite the time that had passed, Speed still thought about his daughter. She was only eleven when she left, but her ways had matured far earlier than that of the normal eleven year old. It was as if she had been here before, and she was just sitting back and watching others as they prodded through this life, trying to figure out what she already knew. He smiled to himself lightly as he remembered one particular day in the spring, it being the most wonderful time he had ever had in his life...

_Flashback_

"_Daddy, I can't believe that you got the rest of the day off! What did you have to sacrifice for that?" Nia Speedle asked as she gazed into her father's warm eyes, his smile warming her heart. She returned it, seeing her love that he received openly. _

" _Well, I'll have to start living in the lab for awhile,"he returned as he walked hand in hand with her._

" _Do they have a extra bed? We are a packaged deal," she quipped as she laughed , swinging her arm joyously. Her eleven years had been filled with so much pain, but the four years with her father had helped her to forget the past. He had loved her more than his life, and she secretly cursed her mother for keeping him away from her. It didn't matter now though. What mattered was that she was with him._

" _I'll have to talk to Horatio about that, babe. Hey, you want to go on the swings?_" _he asked as he smiled down at her._

"_Only if I can push you."_

" _I think I'm supposed to be the one who pushes, Nia."_

"_Well, I think that I'll give you the day off, daddy. You deserve it."_

"_Thanks," he said as he grinned from ear to ear. Having her in his life had saved him from himself. He cared more about what went on around him._

_Soon, she was standing behind him, placing her small hands on his back and pushing. He only moved forward slightly , but he was proud of her. When he swung lackadaisically back to her, she laid into his back and pushed harder, sending him further. He cheered her on as he gained momentum, and she laughed . He burned that laughter into his conscience, it being the most beautiful sound._

Looking into the mirror, he saw only a shell of that man, as he peered at himself. He was still Tim Speedle on the outside, but on the inside, where her love once resided, he felt empty. He had gone back to work soon afterwards, but nothing felt the same. Soon, everything fell back into place, and he was the same as before she had come to him. The black circles around his eyes gave testament to how much he missed her, his nights being similar to this one. He didn't sleep well, and if he did manage to fall asleep, he would toss and turn fitfully, dreaming about her, about the day that she left. It was those memories that kept him in the lab, sometimes all night , because he didn't want to face an empty home. Turning on the water, he felt the familiar sadness rise in him, and he struggled to hold it down. Submerging his head in the water, he was reminded of that day that he knew that she was his angel.

_Flashback_

"_Dad, when are you coming home, Isabel is ready to go," Nia asked as she glanced over to her babysitter who was constantly looking at her watch. He had promised her that he would try to get off early today to help her with her science project._

" _I just have to follow up on a lead, Nia, then I can come home. Did you get the list?"_

"_It's right here in front of me ,daddy."_

"_Good, I'll be home in two hours."_

"_Okay daddy, I love you."_

"_Love you too, honey."_

* * *

"_Rescue, we have an officer down! I repeat officer down. Location McCauley Jewelry, 124 and Flager!" Horatio shouted into the two way. " Speed, hold on. Breathe..."_

" _I can't..."_

" _Just try to breathe, Speed. Speed!..."_

* * *

" _Daddy, you have to wake up," Nia said as she held on to his limp hand. " I love you. You have to wake up." She looked into his still face and felt hot tears trail down her face as the door opened. Looking away, she saw Horatio as he approached the bed ,a look of utter despair hanging on his face. She turned back to her father and touched him on the cheek, then touched the white bandage on his shoulder. " Is he going to be okay, Horatio?"_

" _Nia, he's going to be fine. He's just resting now. He's been through a lot," he returned calmly. She noticed that he still had his blood on his shirt._

" _I bugged him about cleaning his gun until he did. I made sure that he did,..." Nia said tearfully. Calleigh had told her about what her father had gone through with Dispo Day, and she vowed that she would take care of him. She never wanted to lose her daddy._

" _Nia, it wasn't his gun. We were out numbered," Horatio returned feeling solely responsible for this. He glanced down at him and felt his heart sink lower. Nia would be alone in this world if he didn't make it._

_She held onto his hand, squeezing it hard, willing him to wake up, " Daddy, you have to wake up. I'll be alone if you don't. You promised me that I would never be alone, daddy..."_

He lifted his head out of the water, feeling somewhat better, and reached for a towel. The sound of his phone blaring from his night stand prompted him to move quickly, wiping his face as he walked.

Getting to it, he answered, " Speedle."

"Speed, we need you at the lab. Something's happened," Horatio said tiredly.

"What?" he asked fearing the worse , but knowing better.

" Just get here. I'll tell you more then."

Speed flipped the phone down and got dressed. He knew exactly what was going to happen next.

/Break In/

The lab was surrounded by uniforms as well as all both shifts of the CSI team. There were too many people to keep track of , and Speed had stopped trying. He looked down at the body of the desk sergeant, Paula, and fought to compose himself. It was apparent that it was heist, and Paula had been on the receiving end of it going bad. He didn't hear Horatio as he came up, but he could sense him. Standing above him, he could imagine what those clear blue eyes looked like and he forced himself to look down at the ground.

" What was taken?" Speed asked as he saw the evidence bags littered through out the atrium.

"Evidence from yesterday's shooting. Twenty four hand guns confiscated at the scene, all of the expended rounds , test shots, all of it is gone," Horatio said as he put his hands on his hips. This day was starting to be tiresome already.

"Where's Calleigh?" Speed asked as he got up from his haunches. Alexx walked over to them, keeping her eyes adverted from Speed, focusing only on Paula. He knew that it was the reaction that he would be getting for time to come from her.

" She's with IAB. It was her case."

" They aren't thinking that she did this are they?"

" Speed, it's unknown at this time, but we need some answers," Horatio said as he glanced down at Alexx, who had started looking Paula over. " For Paula."

Speed remained silent as Horatio returned his attention to him, " I need you to go to firearms and process it. There's going to be answers there, and I want them."

" Horatio , maybe I should work it from trace," Speed said as he stood up, his lean frame straightening.

" I need my best on this , Speed, and you are the best."

" H,..."

"Speed, this isn't a request," Horatio warned. Speed sighed as he walked away, leaving Horatio and Alexx to themselves. Alexx glanced at him as he walked to the elevators and felt the hurt rise again.

" Horatio, have you noticed something different about Tim?"

Horatio glanced back as well, looking at him through squinted eyes. Besides the radical change to his appearance, he did notice that he was on edge a lot more.

" Yes, but right now, I want to concentrate on Paula. What happened to her , Alexx?" Horatio returned as he knelt down on his haunches.

" She's got a GSW to the base of the skull, perp most likely took her from behind, by surprise. She never knew what hit her," Alexx said as she lifted Paula's head to show Horatio. He groaned inwardly as he glanced down at the badge on her uniform. "It's a through and through, so the bullet is some where in here."

" Is there anything else?" Horatio asked.

" She's got what seems to be the beginnings of bruises on her wrists, she was being held down. I'll let you know more at post."

"Alright, Alexx. Thanks, and you hang in there, alright?" Horatio said as he got up and walked to the desk. He peered over it, seeing something in the shadows. Walking behind the desk, he took out his mag lite and turned it on. In no time, he found a sliver of blue cloth with some black stitching on it. Pulling out his gloves, he put them on, and picked up the cloth, putting it in an envelope. Whoever had done this would know the full power and reach of Horatio Caine.

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

Two Sided Mirror

Chapter 4- Intros

Speed walked into the firearms lab with his camera around his neck, feeling out of place here. Amid the destruction , he saw Delko as he bent over and lifted more prints off of the gun vault. His feelings were all over the place, knowing that he shouldn't be here, but he couldn't just not show up. They would be instantly curious as to why the always trustworthy and dependable Speedle wasn't there.

" Trustworthy, right," he said to himself as he set his kit down. He kept a keen eye on Delko as he continued about his work intently. He could see the pain that was etched around his eyes, no doubt thinking of Paula, who was at that moment being transported to the morgue. He shook the image of her sitting at the desk out of his mind as he pulled the camera to his eye, lining up the shot. Soon he was into his work and he barely registered anyone as they passed in and out of the lab. He looked up for an instant, feeling someone watching him . As he did so, he saw the piercing gray eyes as they stared back at him. He started to get up and go to him, but as he did so, he noticed that he had disappeared. Was his eyes fooling him? He continued to stare at the place where he had been and didn't hear as Delko came up behind him.

" Speed? What did you find?"

"Huh?"

" I said , what did you find?"

Speed turned to him and saw the uncertainty in his friend's eyes. The lack of trust was starting to take root. Looking down quickly, he cleared his throat harshly.

" I haven't found anything of significance yet," he returned as he started to walk away from him.

Eric looked at him with confusion, and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. This was starting to worry him now.

"Speed, is everything alright? I mean, you want to talk?"

" No, Delko, I don't want to talk. I just want to get this done. So if you'll excuse me,..."

" Speed! What's gotten into you man? You are hateful as hell to Calleigh, you yell at Alexx and you are treating me like dirt. What's going on?"

"Mind your own business , Delko," Speed replied. He felt the wave of guilt crashing into him inside as he saw Eric drop his gaze.

"Considered it dropped, Speedle. I'll be out of your way in a minute."Eric said as he turned and walked away. As bad as it felt, Speed knew that this was for the best. He finished his work then made his way to the trace lab, waiting so that he could close himself inside within the protective walls of his sanctuary .

/Intros/

"Calleigh!" Horatio called as he spotted the blond beauty getting off of the elevator heading for the trace lab. She had a very furious look as she spun around, her blond hair following her . "Calleigh, how did it go?"

" How did it go? Well ,let's see, I was put on suspension for failing to follow security protocols. I think that it went quite well," Calleigh returned as the fury shone in her green eyes. She had never missed so much as a sick day since she started, and here she was, finding herself suspended. " I promise Horatio, if I find out who did this, argghh, I'm going to kill them."

Horatio put a hand on her shoulder to calm her, and instantly the fury subsided. She was reacting out of pure anger . " I've got the best trace person on it, Calleigh. We are going to find out who did this."

" I know, but Horatio, I could've sworn that I locked the gun vault before I left last night."

"Are you sure?" Horatio asked as she looked up at him with a scowl on her face.

" Horatio, I take my job seriously, I wouldn't risk it . Who would've wanted to do this?"

" Okay, let's go through who has access," Horatio said as he started walking to the labs.

" You're not thinking it was someone on the inside , are you?"

" That's the most logical step to take first. So, who has access?"

"Well , that's you, Tim , Camden, and myself," Calleigh replied as she thought hard. " Camden was here in the building last night, and you..."

"I was at home, taking care of a sick nephew," Horatio responded.

"And Tim was at Lotus last night with us," Calleigh finished.

"Wait, did you say that he was at Lotus? I thought Alexx said that it was just the three of you?" Horatio asked as he stopped at the trace lab. He could see Speed through the glass windows as he prepared another sample. He noticed that Tim was wearing his white lab coat instead of the new blue ones that had come in for the lab.

" It was just the three of us, but he came later, alone. The odd thing is , he met with someone. Someone I didn't recognize."

" Did he leave before you?" Horatio asked as he felt his phone vibrate on his side.

" No, we left him there," Calleigh said as she glanced at him. With the new haircut, it was hard to believe that she even knew him anymore. Horatio put a hand up to stave Calleigh while he answered the phone.

"Caine."

" Horatio, it's Alexx, I think that you need to come to DNA. I found some skin cells under Paula's nails and sent them on, and they CC'd me... There's something wrong here."

"Alright Alexx, stay calm. I'll be there in a moment, okay?" Horatio replied gently. He nodded his head then flipped his phone down.

" Horatio, what is it?" Calleigh asked as she caught Speed's eye as he glanced momentarily out into the corridor. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes.

" Alexx has something, I've got to go. Go home and get some rest," he called to her as he walked rapidly to the other end of the corridor, disappearing into a door. She continued to stare at him until finally resolving to go. There was nothing that she could do now.

/Intros/

Speed slipped out of the trace lab to grab himself something to drink, and mainly to case the corridors of the lab to listen for any rumblings of what was going on. Every since this morning, things had been quiet , and he had his misgivings as to why. As he was walking to the break room, his phone rang loudly and he quickly filled his hands with it, flipping it open in one motion.

" Speedle."

" Tim, great job . We have set up a meeting between you and the connection for tomorrow night. But first, I need to meet with you. Lotus, seven thirty. Don't be late," Preston said , not giving him enough time to respond. He was left with a dead line as he stood in front of the break room.

" This is great," he said as he pushed open the door to the break room. His life was fast on the track to becoming a living hell.

/Intros/

" I came as fast as I could," Horatio said as he entered into the DNA lab. Maxine Valera and Alexx were standing near each other as he stood at the end of the table. " What do you have?"

" The results of the skin cells," Valera said as she opened the file. Her stomach turned as she looked down at the file.

" Did you look in CODIS? This reeks of familiarity," Horatio said as he looked between the two women. Something told him that this news was bad news.

" Familiar is right, Horatio," Alexx said as the tears began to well up in her eyes.

" I had no luck with CODIS, but I found a match in the departmental records," Valera said as she handed the file to him. " I checked it three times, lieutenant..."

Horatio stared at the results of the DNA test, stating that it was from a male. He took in a harsh breath as he read the match, " The sample from Paula's fingernails matched Timothy Speedle's DNA."

Alexx looked at Horatio with fear and despair welling up inside of her, " Horatio , what has our boy gotten himself into?"

" I don't know ,Alexx, but I intend on finding out."

/Intro/

Speed walked into the club as he did the night before, slowly meandering his way around the crowd, finally finding his table. He sat waiting for him to show up, watching the young people writhe on the dance floor to the obscenely loud music. It was for that very purpose that he never went clubbing.

Glancing at his watch he saw him walking through the crowd from the back of the club, almost taking on the characteristics of a snake slithering through the grass. The tall man wore a severe black suit which added to his caricature. He came to sit down with a broad smile on his face, obviously very happy.

"Speed, I see you made it out of the lab on time. How's the investigation going?"

" Preston, I told you never to call me that. And what's the big idea of you coming to the lab? You could've been seen."

" I'm a master at this, Speed. I've been doing this for years."

" Yeah, if you were such a master, then why did you send me out with those two idiots? They didn't do a damn thing right. They were never supposed to go into the atrium. Now , a police officer is dead and the heat is on."

" I see why . How did you get that scratch on your arm, Speed?" Preston asked as he noticed the scratch peeking out from under his shirt.

Speed absently looked at his chest, to see a faint red mark just above the collar. Sighing , he hit the table. " She must've scratched me as I held her. Those asses shot her in the back of the head. Right when I was talking to her. They could've killed me."

"Calm down, Speed. You didn't die, but you are on the rod for officer Paula's murder. It's very likely that they have matched your DNA to it. So you are in affect a fugitive."

" What? You're kidding?" Speed said as glared at him.

" Does this look like a face that would kid around? Since you're unfortunate incident , I've set up shop for you with a liaison."

" Whoa, wait," Speed said as he put his hands up , sitting back , " I don't need anyone to babysit me. I'm cool."

" Don't be so proud, Speed. You have nowhere to go, they'll be at your apartment, the job, hell , they might be outside this club waiting for you. This is the only option," Preston said as he smiled toothily. " Don't worry, Speedy , I've got a great agent for you. She's very intelligent and easy on the eyes too." Preston turned and waved to her as Speed gazed into the crowd of people. How could it have turned bad so quickly?

He didn't see her as she came to the table, only heard her voice as she spoke to him, his back being turned to her.

" Um, I'm Prudence..."

" Prue?" Speed said as he turned around. His eyes lit on her as he took in her long curly light brown hair and her icy blue eyes. He could tell that she had been taking care of herself as he glanced at her in the black dress and stiletto heels. He felt a smile creep up on his face as he remembered the last time he saw her. She was just as beautiful now as she was then.

" Tim? Is that you?" Prudence Kruss asked as she squinted. The hair was gone but those unmistakable brown eyes were still there, and of course that killer smile that had melted her heart all those years ago. She hugged him as he stood up, taking in his cologne, temporarily making her weak in the knees. He caught her gently as she laughed. " Still catching things I see."

" Yeah, like falling stars. How have you been beautiful?"

As she sat, Prue glanced over to Preston who was regarding this like a kid in a candy store, gesturing for her to introduce herself fully.

" I've been well, Tim. But I'm here on business..."

"Really, you have time to catch up with an old friend?"

" Well..."

" C'mon Prue, a few drinks won't hurt will it?" Speed said as he motioned for the nearest waitress to come over. He ordered himself a drink, then gestured over to Prue, " Anything for you?"

" No thanks, Tim. Like I said, I've come here on business. I'm your liaison."

Speed stopped smiling as he turned to her, seeing the old feelings swimming in her icy blue pools. He knew that she was telling the truth, " You're... my Liaison?"

" Yes, as of twenty hundred hours, you are my responsibility," she said as her voice changed from familiar to authoritve in no time flat.

" You're kidding me. Prue, you wouldn't get mixed up in something like this. It's not you."

Prue shook her head and glanced down at her hands, " I don't kid when it comes to my job, Tim. You are priority and I take this very seriously. Now, we have to discuss..."

" No, I'm not doing this. I'm through with this game. I'm out," Tim said as he got up to leave. Instantly he saw uniforms as they filed into the club. He turned to Preston , who had a knowing look on his face.

" I think , you might want to rethink that , Speed. You're ride is here. It's your choice on whether you want to go out the front door with a couple of bracelets on your wrist. Or you can go with agent Kruss here," he said as the uniforms started in on the crowd.

Speed looked up to see the red head as he walked into the door, with his hands planted firmly on his hips. He then turned to look into her eyes, seeing the trust in them. He grabbed her hand and got up , making for the back exit, under the confusion of the club's pulsating music. Tim Speedle had just left his life behind him.

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5

Two Sided Mirror

chapter 5- Wonderland

Speed sat in the corner of the spacious house, glaring at the walls. Just this morning he was in his own house, now only a mere sixteen hours later, he's wanted for connection in the murder of a Miami Dade police officer. He absently grabbed at the cell on his side only to remember Prue taking it from him.

" They can trace it," she had said to him as she drove through the dark streets of Miami. He sat quietly in the SUV glancing over at her every so often, wondering just when she had changed. The Prue he knew would never had taken this for her life's work. She was too compassionate, too caring to have to deal with this. Something must've happened in between the last time he had seen her and now.

She walked over to him and sat in front of him, searching his eyes for understanding. It had been too long since she had seen him, but she didn't want their reunion to be this way. Taking his hand, she squeezed it, wanting him to remember.

" Tim, I'm sorry . I know I should've called, but so much has happened in the past few years. I lost my sister to the streets and my mother to cancer. After mom , I just threw myself into my work. Andrea provided me with something to do, mama kept me at it," Prue said as she attempted to smile. The pain of her loss was still evident, and Speed softened his look as he gazed into her blue eyes, losing himself in them. She spoke through a tight throat as she looked down at the table as if searching for the right words, " I heard about Nia, Tim."

He unlocked his gaze with her ,it being his time to glance awkwardly at the table. He hadn't thought about Nia much today with what had been going on, but now sitting here in this serenity with Prue had given him the chance to remember . His eyes welled with tears as he looked up at her, her beauty taking the pain out of his heart. His emotions were running high from his introduction to her, to the quick escape that they had to make. Now he was on the run with this beautiful stranger that was more familiar to him than anyone at the CSI lab.

" Yeah, it's been a rough two years," he replied as he loosened his grip on her hand and stood. He had to move around. Just sitting here would drive him crazy.

" I know, I've watched you," she replied as she walked towards him.

" You've watched me?"

" Yes. I've seen the news, Tim. Grief like the one you carry around with you, is easy to see," she said as she put her arms around him easily circling his lean body. " You never really grieved for her did you?"

" No," he said softly as he caressed her cheek. How could he been holding her in this way with what was going on around him? " I didn't allow myself that luxury. I just threw myself into my work."

" That's our first mistake. We don't allow ourselves to heal, instead fearing what we don't understand. Tim, you've got to let it go. Start to heal."

He held her closer as he lost himself in the scent of vanilla that beckoned him to let go, lose control. He felt the familiar feelings rise inside of him as he bent to kiss her softly, feeling at first hesitant , but then letting his emotions flood out. All that he had experienced up to that point had surfaced and he was in danger of letting it take completely over. Prue leaned into his embrace and felt her tears as they slid down her face. She hadn't realized this until now, but she loved him. Even through out all of the years they had spent apart, he was still in her heart , beating forcefully against her. As they got lost in their emotions and each other, the fear of the danger to come was but a distant memory. What mattered was that they had each other just for this night.

/Wonderland/

Calleigh sat at the bar , drinking her favorite drink as she thought about the day that she had just experienced. Her mind forced out the accusations of one of their own being behind the theft and the murder of their desk sergeant. As she pulled the drink up to her mouth, she spotted him coming through the doors, just as he had done the night before , his vision intent on one place. She watched him as he sat down by himself at the same table , checking his watch several times.

" What are you doing here , Speedle?" Calleigh asked herself aloud. She continued to watch him as he constantly returned back to his watch. Minutes passed before she saw the same blond haired man walk up to him and sit down. Calleigh shuddered at the sight of him in his severe black suit, likening him to a snake. She continued to watch as Speed held a conversation with this man, looking more and more irritated by the moment. She trained her eyes on his lips, trying to read them, but she couldn't tell whether it was the music or the alcohol that was prohibiting her from understanding what he was saying.

Calleigh remained intent on them as he saw the black suit talk animatedly, gesturing , while Speed sat back . He didn't looked interested in what the man said until he pointed to Speed's chest. She watched him as he looked down then back up to the black suit with fury evident in his eyes. How she wished she could hear what was being said. Not wanting to miss anything, she picked up her drink off of the bar and took it to a table that was closer to them, but not so close where she could be seen. Shaking her head slightly , she retrained her focus on them in time enough to see a rather tall, attractive woman walk up to them . She was shocked to see Speed stand up and hug her, his body language speaking more than friends. This was someone whom he loved , or rather had loved, and hadn't see this person in so long. Calleigh focused in on the woman's lips long enough to gather her name.

" Prudence Kruss... ATF? Speed what have you gotten yourself into?" Calleigh asked as a commotion started at the front of the club. Calleigh turned to see uniforms as they swarmed into the building. She turned back to see Speed and the woman leaving out the back exit, hand in hand, leaving black suit sitting at the table with a huge toothy grin on his face. Calleigh got up and was going to make her way over to him, but a hand stopped her. She turned to see Horatio as he glanced in the direction of the black suit.

" Horatio? What's going on?" Calleigh asked as she glanced back at the black suit. He sat back as if there was nothing going on. " Speed was just in here, he left out the back."

" He was here?" Horatio asked as he dropped his head. " How long has he been gone?"

" A minute, maybe two... Horatio, you've got that look. What has Speed gotten into? The lady that he left with says that she worked with the ATF."

Horatio looked up suddenly, as if Calleigh had popped the question, " You spoke with her?"

" I told you I read lips didn't I?"

For the first time today, Horatio smiled slightly and nodded, " Did you get anything else?"

" No, they got up and left when the uniforms came in. Horatio, I don't like this," Calleigh replied as she glanced again at the black suit. He smiled in their direction then beckoned Horatio to come over. Calleigh looked between the two, " You know him?"

" You can say that. Do me a favor, and run outside and tell Eric to look in the alley. They couldn't have gone very far."

" I'm suspended, Horatio. Can't do anything," Calleigh replied as she hung her head.

" You're not on duty , you are a concerned citizen," he replied as he threw her another small smile. Calleigh nodded her head and turned to leave.

Horatio walked over to the table, and smiled at him. He looked up at him and smiled back, kicking the chair out from the table.

" Lieutenant Caine, nice to see an old face. What do I owe the pleasure of your company to ? St?"

" I prefer to stand . Preston, you have gotten your hooks into one of my CSIs and now, he's in trouble. Now... how did that happen?" Horatio asked calmly as he tilted his head slightly as if peering at an insect.

" I dunno, guess you are going to have to ask him, aren't you?" Preston said smugly. Horatio glared at him and put his hands on his hips, the years between meeting this character didn't sit well with Horatio.

" I intend to, Preston. I intend to," he returned as he walked away from him. This had just gotten serious.

/Wonderland/

_He opened his eyes, to see dark brown ones staring back at him. Squinting, he smiled at her as she smiled wildly back at him, pulling at the sheets. He tugged on it playfully, inciting shrieks of laughter from her. The light of the sun provided a halo for her as he sat up and looked at her with loving eyes. The day was more beautiful because she was in it. It was a wonderland for him._

Speed woke up with a start, feeling a long dormant warmness flow through him. It had been a long time since he had woken up from a good dream of her. But he knew, that it wouldn't last, just as his happiness. It would come to an end once he closed his eyes again.

Sighing heavily, he tried to shift his weight, but found that he couldn't. Looking down, he saw the curly brown hair and smelled the faint scent of vanilla. Instantly, he knew why he couldn't move. Feeling her fingers on his chest, he grinned as he lifted a hand to move the curly mane to see her slumbering face. The movement caused her to open her eyes slightly, and look up at him.

" Well, I guess all pretense is out of the door," she said as she moved her hand up slightly, brushing up against his chest.

" I guess so. How did you sleep?"

She sat up and gazed into his face. A hint of warmth was where the coldness was last night. She couldn't help but remember last night, and she felt the heat rise in her cheeks, as she reached up and kissed him softly on the lips, replying, "That was the awesomeist sleep."

Speed glanced down to her ,his expression changing. Prue sat up and pulled the covers over her, maintaining eye contact with him. In an instant , she saw the tears as they flowed down his face.

" Tim,... what's wrong? Was it something I did?" she asked as she reached up to wipe the streams away.

He cleared his throat as he cast his eyes downward. After what he shared with Prue the night before, could he share his grief as well? Prue noticed his hesitancy and moved closer to him, caressing his cheek. He needed her support, and she would be there to help him.

" Tim, I'm here. You can let it go," she said as she tilted his head towards her. She was taken aback from the vastness of his pain that shone through his eyes. " It's time."

He looked at her, those ice blue eyes having the comfort that he was looking for, and he released it . The tears came with intensity at first, prompting Prue to take him into an embrace. She held him as his body rocked with the violence of his pain, shaking them both.

" Shh, Tim , it's okay... it's okay... Let it out," Prue said softly into his ear as she caressed the back of his head. He gathered himself and pulled away from her, wiping his tears. Silence followed, neither of them talking , letting the unsaid words linger in the air. He then spoke, his gentle voice breaking the silence hesitantly.

" It was on a Friday," he said as he began , not lifting his eyes, " I had the whole day off, so I thought that I would take Nia to the park. She loved the park." He smiled faintly as he glanced up into her face, then returned his eyes to the sheets in front of him. " She was so happy that we were going to spend time together. I had been working over time on a case that had ties to gun smugglers, and I had testified the previous day in court. My evidence sent the suspect to jail."

" All she wanted was to spend the day with me..." he continued as he felt another round swelling his eyes, " it was a beautiful day. She woke me the way she always did..."

_Flashback_

_He opened his eyes, to see dark brown ones staring back at him. Squinting, he smiled at her as she smiled wildly back at him, pulling at the sheets. He tugged on it playfully, inciting shrieks of laughter from her. The light of the sun provided a halo for her as he sat up and looked at her with loving eyes._

" _So what do you want to do today? You have me for the entire day, so make it good."_

" _I want to go to the park. We haven't been in a while."_

" _Nia, we went last weekend," he returned as he tossed the sheets to the other side of the bed, covering her._

"_Daddy!" she said as she pulled the sheets off of her, messing her long dark hair. He turned and snickered at her, and she threw a pillow at him, hitting him on the head._

" _So you want to throw pillows , huh?" he said as he advanced on her, " you have a good aim, but can it match the tickle?"_

" _Oh no, daddy, not the tickle... Please, daddy," she pleaded as he proceeded to tickle her . She dissolved into a heap of giggles as he continued to tickle._

" _Guess, that will teach you," he said smiling at her, trying to catch his breath. She looked up to him and gave him a dazzling smile. " Now, let's get ready to go."_

"_Okay , daddy..."_

_(At the park)_

"_Daddy, I want to thank you," Nia said as she sat next to him on the swings. They had played together for most of the morning , now they just enjoyed the soft breeze that blew off of the Atlantic, rustling the trees._

_He looked over to her with a lopsided grin and answered, " Thank me? For what?"_

"_For fighting for me. Mom never wanted me to know you, and you fought for me. Even though I was a mistake, you wanted me," she replied looking at the ground. Speed smirked at her maturity, knowing that her time with her mother had made her wise beyond her young years. _

_He got up and came to her, kneeling in front of her and tilted her head up to see her brown eyes. It gave him so much satisfaction that he had a part in this beautiful life, " Nia, you were not a mistake, honey. God put you here just in time."_

" _Mom, always said that I ruined her life..."_

" _I hate to break it to you, Nia, but your mom isn't all there," he said as she let a smile come. " She didn't know what she was giving up. There's no way I could live my life without you in it. You are my life, Nia."_

" _I love you , Daddy," she said as she hugged him tightly. _

" _I love you, Nia," he responded as he hugged her back. He tried to get up, but she held on. Then he heard her tiny sniffles and he struggled to pull her away, feeling her resistance. His heart started to beat faster as he felt her grip tighten. " Nia, honey, are you okay?"_

_She continued to hold on to him, not wanting to let go, " I love you daddy, I love you daddy..."_

_He held her in his arms, fearing for her, " Nia..."_

_She finally pulled away from him , giving him a tiny smile through her tears, " I love you daddy."_

_He looked at her for a moment, perplexed at what just transpired, wiping her tears away, " You okay?"_

"_Umm hmmm," she nodded._

" _Sure?"_

"_I'm good daddy," she said as she pushed him lightly away, standing up. " You know you are the awesomiest."_

"_Awesomiest? Is that even a word?" he asked as he took her hand._

_She lightly punched him in the arm and laughed as they crossed the street to the car, then stopping, " Daddy, I forgot my ball."_

_He looked down at her and shook his head, pulling out his keys, " You would forget your head if it wasn't attached, Nia. Go get it and come straight back. I promised your god mother that we'd stop by."_

" _We get to see Alexx? Yesss!" she answered as she ran to the side of the street just as a car sped through._

" _Nia, watch out for the traffic, and hurry."_

"_Okay daddy..."_

_He watched her as she went to pick up her ball, then she came to the edge of the street and looked both ways, making sure that there was nothing coming. She crossed and walked towards him, bouncing the ball happily. He glanced at her again before he started to get into the car, seeing that beautiful smile. Then he heard the screeching of tires coming from the street and he stopped just in time enough to see the green impala speed past, and hear the distinct sound of gun fire erupt from the window. _

_The sound frightened Nia, and she stopped in her tracks , looking at her father who was making great strides to get to her._

"_Nia, get down!" he shouted as ran for her, " get down!" _

" _Daddy!" he heard her scream as he felt a white hot heat in his arm. The sensation shocked him and he fell down, keeping his eyes on the car. It seemed familiar to him, but then he couldn't be sure. _

_When the shooting stopped and the tires screeched away, Speed got up slowly and saw that Nia was on the ground. Coming up to her, he saw the red spots in her back , and he dropped to his knees, the tears welling up and falling in rapid succession. He lifted her lifeless body up to him, holding her tightly to his chest. She was gone._

"_No, don't leave me, Nia... Don't leave me..." _

_He barely heard the paramedics as they asked him to let her go, and he struggled against them as they attempted to take her from him._

" _I can't ... I can't... ," he replied tearfully._

"_Sir, we have to take her... and you need to be looked after...Sir... Sir..."_

Silence permeated through the room as Speed let the pain of remembering her death seep out of him. Prue had no idea that he had witnessed his daughter's own murder, and now realized that this was why he was in the predicament he was in. She touched his arm, and he lifted his head as if he didn't know she was still there, the tears glistening in his eyes. There was some relief there, but she knew it would take a lot more time and some retribution to help him completely heal.

" So this is why we are here?" Prue asked him as she held on to his hand.

" Yes ,it is. I'm going to get the gun smuggling ring and the bastards that killed my little girl," Speed said as his intensity came through. It shocked her how fast he could change demeanor.

" Tim, you don't know that they are responsible..."

" They are, and they are not finished either. I got the sect that was responsible for the first shipment, but there is another one, and they have no idea who I am. Or what I am about to do to them."

Again silence had taken over, and the weight of his words hung in the air. It was a promise to her that fueled him. She would not die in vain.

TBC...


	6. Chapter 6

Two Sided Mirror

A/N: Big props go to Nikki for helping me out of a corner! You are a Gem! Buckle up everyone, it's going to be a long ride!

Chapter6- Understanding the impossible

Horatio walked into the atrium, feeling the heaviness of the scene as he saw the familiar yellow crime scene tape pulled around the place where she sat. He couldn't help but think about the last time he saw her which was the previous day as he handed her some evidence to lock up. He stood there for a moment, deep in thought with his hands in normal position as he tilted his head, gazing at the evidence locker. Without another thought he un clipped his cell and flipped it open while he continued to look at the evidence locker.

" Eric, I need the photos of firearms," Horatio said as he walked over to the back of the desk.

" Speed was taking care of that. I have no idea where he put them," Eric returned.

" Find his camera and develop the film. I think I know what happened here."

" Sure, will it help Speed or hurt him?"

"Eric, until all of the evidence is in, that is a question that I can't answer. Keep me posted."

" Sure thing H."

Horatio flipped the phone down and pulled the evidence locker, feeling the lock as it held its place. He thought some more then flipped his phone up again, this time getting Alexx.

" Alexx, have you finished post on Paula?"

" Not yet, Horatio. Why?"

" Because I have a feeling that Paula was trying to tell us something. I'll be down there in a moment."

" Alright," Alexx said as she looked down on Paula. " He's going to find out why this happened to you, honey."

/Understanding the Impossible/

Speed zipped up his jacket as he glared at Preston. There was nothing more sickening to him than this man. Preston smirked at him and rolled his eyes, his contempt flowing out of him. He had to use the cop , but he really didn't want to. He thought that one of his agents could've done a better job. He did have to admit that Speed came with perks, such as access to the guns, although that avenue had dried up.

" So are we clear about what is to happen?" Preston asked as he popped his gum, a gesture that made Speed even more irritated.

" Yeah, I meet the guy. What's so hard about that?"

" Don't be a smart ass. If he hints at anything... we are dead in the water, and you my friend could end up on the wrong side of the bars."

"Alright, I got it," Speed said as he glanced at himself in the mirror. " Where did Prue go?"

" She's not your concern, Speed. Focus on what it is you are going to do. Now, when he asks to see the guns, you know how to do it, right?"

" I'm not a preschooler, I can follow the directions the first time given," Speed shot back.

Preston put his hands up and sat back, " Hey , I was just making sure you got it right, chief. This could get very ugly very fast. I don't have to remind you of what happens when they get pissed , do I?"

He glared back at Preston , feeling his temper rising at the connotation of Nia's death. He knew that they were exploiting her demise for their own good, but he didn't think about it, he just wanted revenge. Pulling the anger back inside, he grabbed the sliver suitcase and headed for the door.

/Understanding the Impossible/

" What do you need Horatio?" Alexx asked as he pushed through the doors of the autopsy theater.

" Can you give me the trajectory of the bullet?"

" Sure, tell me what you are thinking?"

" Let me make sure that I'm right first," Horatio said as he stood next to the slab. Paula's skin had already taken a sickish gray color and her lips were dark blue. He turned his head for a moment then back again as Alexx inserted the trajectory rod into the base of her skull.

" Alright, here we are," Alexx said as she tilted the head to show the rod going through the base of the skull and through her neck. " That's odd."

" What?"

" You see that angle?"

Horatio turned to the computer and saw the calculation , " Seems rather low trajectory for Speed's height, don't you think?"

Alexx looked at him with a small smile on her face, " You don't think that he was alone do you?"

" No, and I don't think that he did this," Horatio said as he glanced back at Paula. " What about those marks on her wrists?"

Alexx gently put the head down and moved to her side, producing her right wrist. " They became more pronounced as time passed. She was definitely held down."

" I don't think she was held down, Alexx. Can you photograph it ?"

"With the ALS ?"

" Yes."

A full smile took residence on her face, " I know what you're thinking. Maybe you can get some fingerprints off of the bruises. I gotta admit, it's a stretch."

" But it's the only thing that I have," he responded as he turned to walk out of the autopsy theater, " Keep me posted."

Alexx nodded her head as she took the rod out of Paula's head, " You hold on , Timmy. Horatio is going to figure it out."

/Understanding the Impossible/

Eric was just finishing developing the photos when Horatio pushed the door in. He held up the photographs and handed them over to him.

" Whatcha got , Eric?"

" Seems like we got ourselves a ruse. The photos were taken of the evidence locker and not of the firearms lab. But H, I saw him process the room."

" There's something more going on here ,Eric. Did we get any workable prints?"

" Very few. I managed to get a good one at Paula's desk. Running it through AFIS right now."

" Alright. I'll be in the atrium..."

" Hey, H, wait," Eric said as the computer had just hit , " I think you may need to see this."

Horatio glanced at the computer to see Speed's picture on the screen. He smiled to himself as he turned to walk out, causing Eric to raise an eyebrow. No one ever knew what Horatio was thinking until he was ready.

/Understanding the Impossible/

Horatio unlocked the evidence locker with the spare key that he had , and slipped on a pair of gloves. He walked in, first taking note of the lack of disturbance in the room, then walking to the rows of boxes that housed the evidence from the pending cases. He noticed right away that the evidence boxes from the scene the day before were un touched. Then he looked to the right of him and saw his blue lab coat. He held it up, seeing the place where the stitching was torn, remembering the material he found behind the desk. It was becoming more and more clearer to him as he thought about it.

He was about to take the lab coat out when his cell phone rang. Flipping it up, he heard Alexx on the other end.

" Horatio, I got the photos, and there was a print. I had Eric run it."

"And?"

" And it's Timmy's. He was holding her wrists."

" Okay, I need you to bring Eric to the atrium. I think it's time we looked at the evidence in context."

/Understanding the Impossible/

Prue sat in her car across from the Crime lab, wondering if she was doing the right thing. Last night was the most wonderful experience, and she held on to that as she drove . She didn't want anything to happen to him, and she really didn't trust Preston, so she thought that she could come to the people he did trust. She knew that it was against protocol and that she could get into some serious trouble, but she didn't care, just as long as Tim was out of harms way.

She got out of the car, and crossed the street carefully. The building looked to be deserted and she put her hands up to the glass to peer in, seeing a figure standing in the middle of the huge atrium. Poising her hand to knock she heard some one walking up , and judging from the clicking of the heels, she could tell that it was a female.

" Excuse me , ma'am, but can I help you?" a southern voice asked. Prue could see her reflection in the vast windows , seeing the long blond hair first. Prue turned around and saw the shocked expression that she held, almost as if she had seen her before.

"I'm Prudence Kruss. ..."

" I know who you are. Where is Tim? Is he okay?" the southern woman asked in a barrage of questions.

_Tim? _, Prue thought as she quickly glanced over her, _are they more than co- workers?_

"I'm sorry, but I don't know you," Prue returned as she saw the icy glare that the green eyes were throwing.

" I saw you at Lotus. You were with him, and you left with him."

" I was at Lotus and I met Tim there. Do you make it a habit of spying on people?" Prue asked as she returned the icy stare.

" Tim Speedle is a very good friend of mine and colleague. Odd things have been happening with him ,and I want to know what's going on ," Calleigh demanded.

Prue crossed her arms in front of her and dropped her head before looking up again, " First of all, I know who Tim Speedle is to you and secondly, I don't think you have the authority to make demands like that."

Calleigh stood back and folded her arms as well, standing her ground, " Well, I can't let you in until you state your business."

" What is this a clubhouse now? I have information about Tim. Important. Life threatening information. But if you rather play games..." Prue said as she turned around.

Calleigh put a hand out to stop her, apologizing, " Look I'm sorry , but this has gotten me all frazzled. Let's start again, I'm Calleigh Duqenese, I work firearms."

Prue looked at her hand then to her, seeing the iciness drift away, it being replaced by kind eyes deep in its sincerity. She smiled lightly as she took Calleigh's hand and shook it, " Prudence Kruss, special agent with the Alcohol, Tobacco and firearms bureau."

"Okay, see , I can be civil. Now, what about Tim?"

" Is it possible that I could talk to his LT? No offense," Prue asked. " It's of the sensitive nature."

" Sure , if you'll wait here," Calleigh said as she pulled on the door, walking here. In seconds, she returned with Horatio and he regarded her with a smile.

" Ms. Kruss, how can I help you?"

" I have information on Tim. Something that I think you need to know."

/Understanding the Impossible/

Speed eyed the location from his car, making sure that there were no surprises waiting for him. There was one thing that he agreed with Preston, in that these people were dangerous and sneaky. He watched the black van come to a stop across the street, feeling somewhat better that he was being watched, but not much. He sighed as he looked at the watch. He was on time, they were not.

He moved to start the car when he saw a white van drive up quickly and several men got out of the van with semiautomatic weapons. Two stood in front of his car, pointing the guns at him, while two others opened the door roughly and snatched him out.

" Hey! There's no need of getting rough here, fellas," Speed said as they patted him down.

" Silencio, amigo. Just precautions , you understand?" one said as he stood away from him , still pointing the gun.

" I understand that you are late. What kind of operation are you runnin' here?" Speed asked as he glanced at the black van .

" Are you Americans always so chatty?" the other asked as he shoved Speed towards the van with the barrel of the gun. He lunged forward, surprised at the turn this was taking.

" What can I say, I like to talk. Hey , where are you taking me? I was told that we could do this here."

" My boss never does anything out in the open," the other said as he nudged him more, digging the barrel in his side. " You have a problem with that?"

" No, not at all. Just some courtesy info would be nice," Speed quipped as he glanced over to the black van. He knew that this was not apart of the plan.

" Just get in, hotshot."

Speed did as he was told and got in, feeling his stomach drop. He was now in this by himself.

TBC...


	7. Chapter 7

Two Sided Mirror

Chapter 7- When It Rains It Pours

A/N : I have to give shouts out to **Nikki **and **Randomwriting. **This has been a challenge to write and I thank you guys for the help and encouragement!

Warnings: Language

" Shit! They're not supposed to be going anywhere!" Preston yelled as he slammed the headset down on the console. He was positioned in the black van , along with several agents to insure quality sound for recording purposes and for support. The agents jumped and looked between each other as Preston seethed.

" Uh, sir, shouldn't we be giving Detective Speedle some support?" one of the agents asked. " The wire craps out at about three hundred feet."

"Well I think that we need to give him that support, don't you? Let's go," Preston said as he motioned for the driver to move. He took out his cell phone and dialed her number. She should've been here , and he wanted to know why the hell she wasn't.

/When It Rains It Pours/

Prue looked between them as she steadied herself to do this. The repercussions of what she was going to do, could cost her everything, but it was worth it , if Tim was going to be okay. She dropped her head before starting, feeling her heart fluttering. The two CSIs stood there, waiting for her to start, not liking her hesitancy. Speed , although he was going through some issues at the moment, was a valuable part of the team , and to lose him to a bullet would be more than any of them could bear.

" Ms. Kruss?" Horatio asked as he looked at her, seeing the signs , " Would you like to tell us what's going on?"

" I ... um..." Prue said as she struggled to find the words, making Calleigh and Horatio even more apprehensive. The faint ringing of a cell phone startled them , and Prue looked down at her side, to see that it was hers. She smiled sheepishly at them saying, " Excuse me, I have to get this."

Calleigh and Horatio nodded at her and turned to themselves as she walked away a short distance.

" Horatio, she knows something," Calleigh said as she glanced at her. Horatio nodded and turned to see Eric coming to the door.

" H, Alexx is here... Hey who is that?" Delko said as he looked to Prue who was pacing.

" Prudence Kruss, ATF. She says that she has information on Speed," Horatio replied , keeping his attention on her.

"ATF, huh? That will explain some of the stuff that is going on with him," Eric returned as he eyed Prue.

Prue turned slightly to see them watching her. _Maybe this was a bad idea_, she said to herself as she heard the phone ringing. He picked up on the second ring.

" Where the hell are you, Kruss? Our boy gets taken and you're off galavantin somewhere," Preston yelled into the phone.

"Out... Wait did you say he was taken? Where?" she asked as she faced them, trying to keep her cool.

" We're tracking him to the warehouse district. Get your ass here now," Preston said angrily. He was not in the habit of letting his stings go down the drain. Prue could hear the faint sound of the trucks in the background.

"Okay, warehouse district. I'll be there... and Preston, keep an eye out for him, will ya?"

" That's not my job , hon, that's yours," Preston stated nastily. " Just get your ass here . We are stopping at lot 65."

" Lot 65, okay," Prue said as she took a breath and flipped her phone down. She gathered herself before walking over to them, plastering a smile on her face. Despite her fears, she didn't want to alarm them. Their involvement could now spell trouble for Tim. " I'm sorry, but something important has come up. I have to go."

" But what about Speed?" Calleigh asked .

" I'm sorry, maybe , I shouldn't have come in the first place. I have to go," Prue said as she walked away, feeling the tears surfacing . She wasn't where she was supposed to be, and now Tim was maybe going to pay the price.

The three CSIs watched her as she walked away, in silence. Horatio turned to Calleigh who had a wide smile on her face, likening her to a cheshire cat, the unspoken question floating between them.

" Warehouse district, lot 65," Calleigh said simply as Eric gazed at them , perplexed.

" Great, Calleigh, you stay here and go over the evidence, Eric you come with me," Horatio said

as he slipped on his sunglasses , " We are going to get down to the bottom of this."

" What? What just happened?" Eric asked Calleigh as Horatio walked off towards the hummer.

" I never told you that I read lips , did I?" Calleigh asked with a playful smile as she patted him on the arm.

" This is information I need before I talk on the phone with my girlfriend with you in the room," Eric returned as he jogged to meet Horatio at the Hummer. Calleigh smiled and then pulled the door open, walking in. While they went to get their friend back, she would be working.

/When It Rains It Pours/

Prue drove like a mad man through the streets of Miami, her thoughts only on one thing, getting to Tim. Her mind wandered to the times they had shared, the wonderful smile that he always had for her, and the love that they shared . She felt a tear drop as she reached over to her glove compartment and opened it, taking out two glocks. She knew that they were ready without having to look at them, because as she told Tim in the club, she took her job seriously.

In minutes , she was at the warehouse district, and she parked a couple of lots down as so not to throw attention to herself. She glanced at the guns in her hand and chambered the rounds in both, putting one behind her in her low rise jeans, and the other where she could reach in seconds. She took her cell phone off of her clip and tossed it into her car, then trotted off in the direction of lot 65.

When she got there, she saw the white van parked alongside the south side of the building, and noticed that there were two armed guards. The drop, she realized would be made here. Silently , she cursed Preston for his lack of Intel , then she walked stealthily to the other side of the warehouse. Coming around, she saw the familiar black van as it sat on the opposite side, looking very conspicuous. She shook her head as she continued to follow the building, looking for an alternate way in. This was her job, to make sure that he was going to be okay. She found a small door, and slipped in, readying herself to face anything.

/When It Rains It Pours/

Speed glanced between the two Hispanic gunmen as they spoke in Spanish to each other , laughing. He listened intently to their conversation, trying to hear hints to what was going on, but finding out that they were just talking about him. He closed his eyes as he waited, his heart beating a marathon runner's beat , thinking about how screwed he could be if this didn't go right. Not only would he be killed, but he would inadvertently be putting his friends in danger. This smuggling ring would not stop until all adversaries were taking care of, and that included the CSIs of Miami Dade county. The weight of the situation began to take hold and he nervously shifted his weight.

" Hey, when is this going to go down? I have things to do," he asked , cutting through the silence.

One gunman walked up to him and smiled maniacally, " Patience, friend. He's on his way. And for your sake, I hope that you have made it worth his while."

"Worth his while? I have what I was told to get. Killed an officer to get it. He better make it worth my while,"Speed returned as he glared at the man. He was lying, he knew, but he had to play the part. In doing so, he felt as if he was standing on the other side of the mirror of his life. It was him, but yet ,it wasn't. He turned at the sound of the doors opening and saw two men walk in with semiautomatic submachine guns, and behind them a small Hispanic in all white. The two men that were with Speed, turned to him as he approached and pushed Speed down to his knees.

" So, what do we have here?" the small Hispanic asked as he looked over Speed. Speed glared at him harshly as he reached for the silver suitcase.

" Just what you ordered. Had a hard time getting that, just in case you were wondering," Speed quipped easily. It was masking the fear that had crept into him, knowing that he was facing the man who was responsible for his daughter's murder. He didn't know if he could keep his cool .

The man opened the case and smiled slightly as he turned the case over, " You ,my friend, have made a very big mistake."

" What?" Speed asked as the men grabbed him by the arms. His eyes went to the empty case that sat before him.

/When It Rains It Pours/

Prue walked silently through the rows of boxes as she trained her ears to listen. She could hear the faint sounds of Spanish as she walked and then she stopped, putting her hands behind her, making sure that her gun was still back there. She started to walk again, navigating her way through the forest of cardboard. Coming to a clearing, she saw Tim as he stood, the two men with guns not far behind. Prue could see the stress of the situation on his face, and she fought to remain composed. Then in an instant she heard the doors open and she focused her attention to it, seeing the two guards walking in with someone behind them. She felt her breath rush out of her as she recognized the small Hispanic man behind them, and she filled her hand with her gun. Her heart began to race as she saw them kneel him down to the ground as he opened the case. It seemed as time had stopped when she saw the familiar look on his face as he turned the case to Tim, a calm yet demented look in his eyes. She knew what she had to do and she stood up straight , aiming her gun.

/When It Rains It Pours/

Preston sat outside of the warehouse , looking in the direction of the white van noticing her as she walked to the other side. Finally, she had made it, he thought as he sat back. Now all he had to do was sit and watch the fireworks.

/When It Rains It Pours/

Horatio pulled the Hummer behind the car, two lots from 65 and got out, with his gun already in his hand. If anything , this job had taught him to be prepared for anything. He motioned for Eric to take his blind side as they made their way to lot 65 quickly. In no time they were in the front of the warehouse, finding the door open. They slipped in quietly, hoping to find their friend and colleague well.

/When It Rains It Pours/

Preston took another look out the window, seeing two figures as they inched closer to the door, and pulled his sunglasses off, almost throwing them at the agents.

" Son of a bitch! When it rains, it pours! What the hell are they doing here?" he yelled. They were going to ruin everything. He glared at the red head as he entered the building, feeling his homicidal tendencies rising. He couldn't let this go down the drain. Getting out ,he instructed, "No one talks, understood?"

They all nodded ,knowing what that meant. If this went sour, they were to get out. Fast.

/When It Rains It Pours/

Prue heard the gun click before she saw it, turning to face him quickly, letting shots off. She watched as the man took three in the chest as he fell forward, his finger lying on the trigger of the machine gun. The warehouse went into action as the sounds of gun shots filled the air. Prue felt the bullets as they whizzed by her, taking cover behind the towers of boxes.

Speed took the moment of chaos to get up and reach into his sock to find his own piece, taking cover behind boxes himself. He was angry and confused, but he kept his focus , wondering who it was that had opened fire. He trained his gun on several men, shooting in rapid succession, taking many of them out. As he moved he could see the person step from behind the boxes and take a shot, his heart dropping into his stomach. It was Prue. Then his attention was thrown to the gunshots coming from the front of the warehouse, and he moved quickly to see Horatio and Eric as they had joined the fight.

"Dammit!" he said as he continued to keep his gun trained. The sounds of the bullets reverberated off of the walls, making communication hard, and he listened intently to the guns. He knew that the guards had machine guns and Horatio, Eric and himself had nine mm glocks. As the machine guns returned fire, he stepped closer to Prue, wanting to shout to her. He lost track of Horatio and Eric , although he could still hear Horatio fire. He didn't hear the person walk up to him until he spoke.

" Speed, put the gun down," Eric said as he trained his gun on his friend.

" I can't do that," Speed returned as he turned around to face him. He glanced to his side to see that Prue was gone.

"I'm not going to ask you again, Speed. Put the gun down," Eric said as he steadied his gaze. It hurt him to hold the gun to his friend's face, but he had to. This wasn't the same Speed he knew.

" I'm sorry , Delko." Speed said as he advanced on him.

Eric kept his gun pointed at him, his eyes welling. He couldn't do it, but he had to," Speed, ..."

Speed tackled him and wrestled with him, overpowering him easily. When he got up, he pointed the gun in his face, as Delko remained on the ground, with his hands up.

" Why couldn't you just stay away?" Speed asked in anguish. Pointing the gun at him was heartbreaking.

"Speed, why are you doing this?" Eric asked as he noticed the gun trembling in his hand.

" You wouldn't understand, Eric. I'm sorry," Speed said as he felt one tear drop. He steadied the gun and shot him.

He moved quickly, wiping his tears. Moments later, he spotted Prue advancing on a guard with her gun steady. She didn't see the guard behind her and he yelled to her. He knew that she wouldn't be able to hear over the caphony of the gunfire, but he had to warn her. Seconds passed as he kept his eyes on her, seeing her squeeze the trigger, then fall to the ground. He screamed out as he ran to her, dodging bullets, but not really caring. She had been hit. His anger rushed to his head, and he didn't see the gun until it connected with his face, sending him to the ground.

He couldn't focus on the man towering above him, but he could hear his voice faintly. He could've sworn that he heard Horatio's voice. The man moved and Speed got up gingerly, dangerously close to losing consciousness, again trying to get to her. He was able to get closer, seeing one pick her up effortlessly, noticing the blood on her shirt. It was growing rapidly. Walking, he reached out to her, but he felt as if he was in quick sand, feeling himself being dragged down. The gunfire had ceased, yet his ears still rang , and as he came to the front of the warehouse. He saw them toss her into the white van, then drive off.

As he fell to his knees, his eyes erupted with tears, his new found grief finding a way out, "Prue..." He lost himself to his heart breaking and conscious as he thought about her. It was far from over for him. Or her.

TBC...

A/n: I know bad form... But interesting, no? lol. Let me know how you feel...


	8. Chapter 8

Two Sided Mirror

Chapter 8- On Notice

Speed surfaced slowly, trying to grasp hold of where he was. His last memories were of her as she was being taken away, wounded. He fought to steady his gaze as he put his hand to his head, feeling the wound that had opened on his forehead. Whoever had hit him, had done a bang up job.

As he got up , he saw a faint light in the corner of the room as it glowed in the darkness. He glanced around the room, listening for any sounds that were familiar, and finding none. The room was sparse as far as he could see, but there was a sink and a door, and he moved gingerly to the door to try it.

" Tisk, tisk, Speed, I would think that you would've known better now. Word of advice, brother, always look in the case," a familiar voice said from the darkness. Speed turned his head to the faint light to see it move and glowed red. " And poor Prue, she didn't know what she was getting into."

" Where is she?" Speed asked out loud.

" It doesn't matter. By the time they find her, she will be dead. Oh, your little friend survived the shot you gave him, but I think that you already knew that, didn't you?"

" Preston, what's up your sleeve?" Speed asked ignoring the question and growing tired of the game. He moved forwards slightly, still feeling the effects of his head wound. " Why did you double cross me?"

" Because you did it first, Speedy. Those guns that you ' stole' where bogus. Did you think that I wouldn't notice?"

" Well you sent me two idiots... They wouldn't know the difference," Speed quipped.

" I noticed. And now , I want what I set out to get," Preston said as he stepped out. He had a huge smirk on his face as he stepped closer to Speed, puffing on a cigarette. " Your little scheme threw us back some, so now I think that I am going to have to repay the favor."

Speed noticed the door open and a big man as he walked through. He could tell by his stature that he was for security purposes only. Preston grinned widely and nodded his head, putting his cigarette out on the ground before moving to the door.

" Now you boys play nicely. Max, you know what to do when you are finished."

Max nodded as Speed readied himself against what was coming, growling, " Preston, enjoy this because you have been put on notice."

" Brave words for a dying man. While you play with Max, here, think about your friend's lives, because I'm going to get what I want. And what I want in still in the Crime Lab."

" Preston, if you touch them..."

" Oh, you'll what? Kill me?" Preston asked as he laughed heartily. He held his side slightly as he wiped his face, " You know, before you double crossed me, I used to like you."

" Well , I can't say the same for you," Speed countered as he tightened his fist, feeling the apprehension of the moment . He knew that once Preston stepped out of the door, he would be fighting for his life. " Just remember what I said."

" Duly noted. Fabulous last words there, _Speed_," Preston said as he opened the door. " Have fun."

As the door closed, Speed wasted no time in starting his attack, startling Max. Max stumbled slightly , then regained his footing, smiling maniacally at Speed. Speed eyed him warily, as Max rubbed his chin, trying to figure a way out of this.

" I like it when they hit back," Max said as he threw a punch. Speed ducked and came up swinging, connecting with his mouth, making Max bleed.

" Well I aim to please," Speed returned as he thought about his friends. He was going to have to make short work of Max and get to the lab before anyone else got hurt.

" You are going to regret that."

" Not as much as you are going to regret even getting tangled up with me."

Max laughed as he swung and connected with Speed's chin, making him fall backwards into the wall. Speed laid on the ground feeling the blood in his mouth, shaking it off. _This is no time to be lying on the job_, he thought as Max approached him. He felt the rough hands of the man on him as he lifted him up and stood face to face with the large man. From the corner of his eye , he saw the huge fist as it came from the side, and quickly, Speed thrust his knee in the man's groin, causing him to crumple to the floor.

" Sorry about that ," Speed sais sarcastically as he stepped over the man, going around to the back. With one quick movement, he grasped the man's huge neck, surprised that he even had one. He circled his arm around , placing it around his throat and grasping the wrist of his other arm, creating a nice comfy ring. " Now, unless I get what I want, you are going to be seeing stars when you die."

Max flailed about, his face turning beet red from the pressure that Speed was applying.

" Where's Prue?"

" I don't know," Max choked out.

" Come on, lets do better than that. Where did they take her?" Speed asked as he tightened his grip slightly.

" I told you , I don't know."

"Max, why do I feel like you are lying to me?" Speed asked gripping his wrist harder.

" Okay, okay... She's at the park around the swings," Max gasped.

" Which park?"

" I don't know... Southpointe pier I think..."

" Southpointe," Speed said as the anger rose in him quickly. It was the same park that Nia had died in. He felt himself loose control as he readied his arm to twist. In normal situations, Speed wouldn't have done this, but they had once again threatened his happiness. As he thought about Nia, he turned his arm quickly, snapping the huge man's neck. He got up slowly, feeling the tears come to his face as he looked down at Max, feeling sorrow. He was never one to go looking for a fight, but if he was pushed he would bring it.

Kneeling down, he saw a cell phone on the floor, figuring that it must be Max's. He flipped it up to see that it was functional and quickly dialed the lab. When he couldn't get anyone, he hung up and tried Horatio's number. On the third ring, he heard him pick up.

" Caine."

" H , listen to me carefully,..."

"Speed? Where are you?"

" That's not important. Listen, there is something about to go down at the lab, is Calleigh with you?"

" No, she's at the evidence locker, filing evidence from Paula's murder," Horatio returned. Speed could hear the accusation in his voice. " Why?"

Speed closed his eyes, thinking about Prue . He didn't have the time to explain just yet.

" Because some very bad men are coming to get the evidence that I left behind. You have to get to her and get her out of there, H."

" Understood, Speed, what's going on?"

" I'll tell you when this is all over. Get to Alexx as well. This person knows my weaknesses. If any of you got hurt, I would go insane," Speed replied as he pulled the door open. He was on the move and on a mission.

" Who is it, Speed?" Horatio tensed as he heard the tension in his protege. Someone was playing a very dangerous game with his team.

" Preston. Look, I have to find someone very important to me, but I'll be there. I promise."

" Speed, Eric's..."

" H, I know, he's okay. I saw the kelvar under his shirt. Now, go and get Calleigh and Alexx. Be careful," Speed said as he found his way out of the building. He realized that he was still in the warehouse district. Looking to his right ,he saw a motorcycle , not to his taste , but it would do.

" Same to you, Speed. Hurry back."

Speed smiled as he flipped the phone down and trotted over to the motorcycle and noticed that the keys were in the ignition. Without another thought, he started the machine and sped off to Southpointe park. Hoping that he would get to her on time.

/On Notice/

Calleigh unlocked the evidence locker, lost in her own thoughts. She had seen Horatio when he came back into the lab, a distraught look invading his face, and it scared her. She thought that Speed had been killed. He had taken her to the break room and sat her down, much like they did the recently widowed wives of cops that were killed in the line of duty.

"_Calleigh," he had started softly, " There's something that I have to tell you."_

" _What Horatio, what has happened?" Calleigh asked fearfully._

" _Eric's... Eric's been shot. He's okay, but he's going to the hospital. He had his vest on," Horatio said as he glanced down at the table. The next news was the hardest. " He said that Speed shot him."_

"_Oh god no," Calleigh said as she put her hands to her mouth._

Calleigh sighed heavily as she walked the evidence into the lockerLost in her thoughts, she didn't hear anyone behind her until she felt the barrel of a gun flush to her head. She stood still and closed her eyes.

" What do you want?" She asked in a controlled voice. Inside she was shrieking.

" Just some guns. Give them to me." he said as he pushed the gun to into her skull.

Calleigh closed her eyes again and then opened them. She wasn't going to give them a damn thing.

* * *

Alexx was just finishing her clean up when she heard the doors to the morgue open. Looking up , she saw the men rush in with guns, pointing them at her. She dropped the towel ,and started to run towards the back elevator, but she was cut off by another man who held a pistol to her head. He smiled at her and grabbed her roughly by the wrist, pulling her along with him. Preston would be very happy.

* * *

Speed pulled up to South pointe park ,his heart and mind racing. What if she was dead? What if Max was lying? As he got off the bike, he shook all of that out of his mind. He felt in his heart that she was still alive. His first stop was the swings, and as he rounded the corner, he saw here , hanging from the support beams of the swings, her head on her chest. He ran to her, almost screaming her name, tears coming quickly. When he got to her , he quickly untied her, and she fell lifelessly into his arms. He sat on the ground with her, willing her to be okay, calling her name. 

"Prue, it's me. It 's okay, I'm here." he said tearfully.

Silence returned to him and he continued to try, " Dammit Prue, wake up! I - I need you."

He saw her eyes open after a moment and a faint smile came to her lips. Through his tears, he smiled back at her. She was okay.

" It takes me to get shot to get that?" she asked weakly.

Speed laughed as he pulled her closer and held her. He then pulled away and picked her up. She would be okay. He would see to that.

TBC...


	9. Chapter 9

Two Sided Mirror

chapter 9 - Walk Me Through It

Horatio turned his gun on the man as he stood behind Calleigh, with the gun still flush to her skull. His clear blue eyes hardened at the sight of his CSI , standing helplessly while her life was in limbo, waiting for something to happen.

" Put the gun down!" Horatio ordered as the short man laughed without turning around. He held the gun tighter in his hand, pulling the hammer back. Horatio heard the familiar sound and steadied his gun, his intense blue eyes fixed on the gunman and the petite blond in front of him. If he took the shot, he risked the man pulling the trigger. If he didn't, he was leaving Calleigh to the mercy of this maniac. " I'm not going to tell you again. Put the gun down."

Calleigh closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, trying to prepare herself for what could happen. She kept her mind on Horatio, imagining him behind them, gun poised and steady, and she knew that he would make everything alright.

Then it happened. Within a spilt second, Calleigh felt the gun slip from the back of her head, and she turned to see the man drop to the ground with a bullet in his skull. Horatio quickly made his way to her, looking down at the man who stared back up at him with empty eyes. He then glanced up to Calleigh, checking for any signs of distress.

" Are you okay?" he asked as he looked her in the eyes. She nodded then closed her eyes, breathing in deeply.

" I'm fine. Thank you Horatio."

" What did he want?" Horatio asked as he gestured down to the body.

" He wanted guns. I wasn't going to give him any of my evidence, so its good that you showed up," Calleigh returned matter of fact.

" I'm glad you are okay. We need to get to the morgue. Preston knows Speed's weaknesses."

" So, he'll go for the people that he loves to get what he wants," Calleigh pointed out.

" Exactly. And Alexx is number one on that list," Horatio responded as he started to walk to the elevators. He would call the second shift in to deal with the dead body in the atrium. He pushed the button to the morgue and they both rode in silence.

" Horatio, do you know what this is about?" Calleigh asked, her voice piercing the air.

" Not all the pieces are clear to me, but one thing is for sure, Speed's in trouble. And I intend to help him."

Calleigh nodded as the door to the elevator slid open and they walked quickly to the morgue's double doors. As they pushed through the doors, it was immediately known that Alexx was no longer there. Her tools had been scattered and her cleaning supplies were left on the slab. Horatio filled his hand with his gun as he searched the office and the autopsy theater, finding nothing. When he returned to Calleigh's side, he looked to her, seeing the fear that crept inside of her.

" She's gone." he said as he holstered his gun.

/Walk Me Through It/

Speed held on to her as she drifted in and out of consciousness while he waited for the ambulance to arrive. After getting to her, she had surfaced, but only for a moment before she began to loose her grip. He noticed that her wound was still pumping out blood, and the shirt that he wore was stained with it profusely. If she didn't get to the hospital,he was sure that she wouldn't make it. He silently pleaded with her to stay with him as he heard the faint sounds of the ambulance, as it approached. He didn't know what he would do if he lost her as well. When the paramedics arrived, Speed backed out of the way as they worked to stabilize her and prepare for transport.

" Sir, we need to take her quickly," the para medic said as he held the IV bag up.

" I'm coming with you," Speed returned as he kept his gaze steadied on her pale face. Just last night he could feel her warmth, a connection to something that he hadn't had in a very long time, something to look forward to.

"Sir..."

" No time to argue," the second paramedic interrupted. " Let's get going."

Speed climbed into the back of the ambulance and sat next to Prue, grasping her hand while the paramedic attended to her vitals. He leaned in closer to her ear, making sure that she could hear him .

" Prue, stay with me. I need you to walk with me through this world," he pleaded as the tears invaded his voice. " Don't leave me alone."

The sound of a cell phone, jarred him from his pleas, and he sat up slightly to reach for it. The paramedic glared as he pulled the phone up out of his pocket.

" Sir, you can't use that in here," the paramedic said as he let out a frustrated sigh.

" It won't take long," Speed said as he flipped up the phone and spoke into it, " Hello?"

"Ma- Speed? How?..."

" Preston, I see that you are surprised to hear my voice. Did you actually think that I was going to let him kill me?"

" You are brave," Preston said as he tried to compensate for the unexpected surprise. " So are your friends, especially that Calleigh. When she has a gun to her head, she keeps cool. You gotta admire that."

" Preston..."

" I know what you are going to say, ' if you harm a hair on their heads, I'll kill you'. Really, Speed you have to find more material," Preston taunted. " But that's not the point."

" You were unable to get what you wanted right?" Speed asked sarcastically. He smiled inside at Calleigh's defiance.

" Yeah, unfortunately. But I lucked out on a consolation prize," Preston chuckled. Speed could hear the faint sounds of a struggle through the cell phone.

" What are you talking about, Preston?"

" Well you once told me that your friends were all that you had. I have a little surprise for you," Preston said as he took the phone away from his ear.

" Tim! Don't give them anything..." Alexx's frantic voice said. Speed could hear the panic and fear that rode her voice and it angered him.

"Alexx! Are you ok? Alexx!" Speed yelled into the cell phone, prompting the paramedic to glance at him. He had given up on trying to tell this man what to do.

" She'll be fine if I get what I want, Speed. You know what that is. You have two hours, then I start cutting her into pieces to send to her children."

"Preston, you son of a bitch!" Speed said as the phone went dead. He gripped the phone tightly in his hands , practically forcing himself to hold onto it instead of slamming it into the wall of the ambulance.

When he gathered himself, he dialed the familiar number and waited for him to pick up.

" Caine."

" He's got her," Speed said with a dark tone, his emotions threatening to overflow.

" I know and I know what he was after , but Speed, I need to know everything to be able to help you."

" I know H. I'm going to the hospital. Meet me there, Grace Memorial. I'll explain everything," Speed said as the ambulance pulled into the emergency bay. He flipped the phone down and moved to help them get her out of the ambulance. The para medics rushed her inside the building as a team of doctors and nurses met them at the door.

" We've got trauma room one open!" shouted a doctor as Speed matched step with them.

The nurse put her hand up and stopped him, preventing him from going any further, " I'm sorry, sir , but you can't come back here." Speed started to protest, but he knew that he needed to be away from her so that she could get the help that she needed. He nodded at the nurse and watched her as she joined the effort to save Prue.

Turning around, he walked out into the lobby and stood silently with memories from the past. He realized right there that leaving Prue was the worst thing that he could've done, despite the excuses that he had given. She was his life, and now that she had returned, he faced the daunting notion that he could very well loose her again. The tears rose inside of him, tightening his throat as he desperately tried to force them down. He lost his battle with his emotions as he felt the salty streams make a trail down his face. He had lost so much, could he stand to loose more?

/Walk Me Through It/

Alexx watched her captors carefully as they moved around the room with guns in their hands. She was frightened yes, but she knew that she would have to keep a cool head if she was going to get out of this. She knew that her Timmy would do anything to find her, and she was assured by that matter, making it easier to relax.

A tall man with platinum blond hair approached her with a wide grin and a certain glint in his eyes. He pulled her up by her arms off of the chair and bounded her with thick rope. She felt his hands on her skin and she shivered with disgust , but keeping it in check.

" Don't want our prize to escape," he said as he turned her roughly and smiled at her. She turned her face from him, trying not to gag on the cheap cologne that he was wearing. " You are our ticket."

" He's not going to give you anything," Alexx spat.

" For you, he will," he Preston said as he gripped her tighter. He saw the defiance in her eyes and it was starting to anger him. " You and your friends are his weakness. You're all he has."

" He's a strong man. You'll never get what you want," Alexx returned acidly.

"Well, I think that I'm going to give him a little inspiration to help him along," Preston said as he pushed her down, then motioned for one of the gun men to come. She watched this guy warily as he handed his gun to another and approached her with a demented smile. Alexx steadied her breathing , bracing herself for what she knew was coming. She closed her eyes and felt the blow strike her across the face , instantly producing blood in her mouth. The tears began immediately as he landed another blow , sending her head in the other direction. The blood dribbled out of her mouth and she closed her eyes, to the pain, as he continued.

_Please help me Timmy_, she thought as she teetered with consciousness. She finally gave up and drifted into a pain filled slumber, with her children and her friends on her mind.

/ Walk Me Through It/

Horatio pulled the Hummer into the emergency bay to see Speed sitting out on the bench, gazing out into nothingness. He was delighted to see his young protege but disturbed at what was going on around him. He could see as he looked at him, what the duality of what he had engaged himself in, as it had started to take its toll. The dark circles around his eyes, and the disheveled look were dead giveaways for Horatio. He approached him with a soft voice, trying not to disturb the serenity of the moment.

"Speed... are you alright?"

Speed glanced up at the red head and smirked darkly, " I'm fine. Someone I care about is in surgery fighting for her life, and another who has been taken by a maniac. So I'm just peachy."

"Speed..." Horatio said in a light warning tone. He knew that he would be blaming himself for this. " Tell me what 's going on. Walk me through it."

Speed nodded and began, " You know the case that I was working on when Nia died?"

Horatio nodded and took a seat next to him on the bench, keeping eye contact with him, his memories returning to the dark times after Speed had lost his daughter.

" Well, I put the guy in prison, and I later find out that the feds are going to let him out, to try and get the bigger fish. I couldn't believe it. He had been convicted of gun smuggling and they were going to let him off, this after murdering my daughter to get to me," Speed said with hatred in his voice. Horatio was not prepared for the Speed he sat in front of, not the vengeful anger filled Speed. He nodded and let him continue, " So I was approached by the ATF to go in covert to get the head of the operation and the one responsible for Nia..."

" How did they know to approach you?"Horatio asked, " It was well known who you were as the trial proceeded."

" They needed someone on the inside to get to the evidence, so Preston figured that I would be the best, since I had lost my little girl. He played on the fact that I would be so wrought with revenge that I would do anything to get them. Which I was. H, I could barely function when Nia died, and now someone was giving me a chance to make it right. So reluctantly , I took it."

" Reluctantly?"

" I didn't want to deceive you , any of you,"Speed said as he dropped his head. He remembered how awful he had been to Alexx that day at the crime scene, and he felt a tear drop.

" Speed,..."

" No, what I did was stupid. I should've never taken them up on the offer. I hurt so many people in the process; you , Calleigh , Alexx... Eric..."

"Paula," Horatio completed as he dropped his gaze to the ground then back to him.

" I didn't kill her, H. I was trying to help her," Speed stated as he wiped the tears away. In a sense, this was a relief to get off of his chest.

" I know, Speed. The evidence told me that. What happened?"

" I was at the lab, working on a case when I got the call that I was to get the evidence out from the case that Calleigh and Eric had been working on. Apparently, it was crucial for them to have. Two idiots showed up as I was going into the evidence locker to get them, and I pulled Paula away from the desk, facing me. I didn't ... I couldn't get her down fast enough. I saw her eyes as she died Horatio. Her blood was on my lab coat," Speed choked out. He tried to force the image of Paula's stricken face as she died. " She tore at my lab coat before she died. I made sure to leave my prints and the lab coat in the evidence locker, and I told them that the evidence was in the firearms lab. They were incompetent, they wouldn't know the difference."

"So they took the wrong weapons?" Horatio asked now seeing where this was leading to it explaining the damage done to the firearms lab.

" Yeah, and Preston knew it, so he switched out the guns for the meeting. The one that you weren't supposed to be at," Speed said as he glared at him, remembering his friend's eyes as he pulled the trigger. " How did you know to put kelvar on him?"

" It was a serious situation. When the young woman came, she gave a sense of urgency but she couldn't come out and tell us. Calleigh recognized her from Lotus as your friend, Prudence Kruss."

" Oh, yeah... I forgot Calleigh could read lips. So Prue told you where to go?"

"No , Calleigh used her talents to get the location when she was on the phone. After she left, Eric and I followed."

" H, you have to know..."

" Speed, I know that you didn't mean or want to shoot him. What matters is that he is okay. He's bruised ,but he's going to be fine."

" Thank God," Speed said as he sighed, " but we still have a huge problem. He's got Alexx and I know that he's not going to be a good little boy and play nice. Every second is a second that Alexx doesn't have, Horatio."

" I'm taking care of that, Speed. I've got something up my sleeve."

" Really," Speed asked as he raised his eyebrow and turned away. He saw the nurse as she walked out to him, almost seeming like she was in slow motion. He got up quickly and met her, not liking the look in her eyes.

"Mr. Speedle?"

" Yes... is she okay?"

" I'm sorry , Mr. Speedle, but Ms. Kruss flatlined in surgery..."the nurse said quietly.

" She's gone?" Speed asked as a fresh round of tears started. He felt Horatio's hand on his shoulder and he jerked away from him, unable to stand in one place. His grief tore a hole inside of him, and opened the old wound that had not completely healed with time. He let out an anguished cry as he dropped to his knees and wept. Horatio glanced at the nurse and she took her leave.

"Speed... you have to focus now. Prudence would've wanted you to finish what you started."

"She can't be ... dead..." he managed in between the tears. He was inconsolable. Horatio sat for a moment with his hand on his shoulder to comfort him. As suddenly as it had begun, it was finished. Speed stood up and wiped his tears away, revealing a dangerous glare. His grief had been once more transformed into anger. And there was no stopping him now.

TBC...


	10. Chapter 10

Two Sided Mirror

Chapter 10- Revenge Served Cold

Speed looked around the emergency bay ,frantically trying to find transportation. He had ridden to the hospital on the ambulance, leaving him stranded here with the murderous energy that he now possessed. This man had taken his love and now, he had his closets friend, doing God knows what to her. He had to do something.

Horatio watched as the young man struggled to calm his emotions and sighed inwardly. Right now, the logical thing would to give him time to calm down, but Alexx was missing. Telling Speed to calm down would be like trying to throw a flower through a brick wall. It just wasn't going to happen.

"Speed, you have to calm down. Going into this half cocked isn't the way," Horatio said calmly. He looked at Speed as he nervously paced in front of him. Horatio knew that the energy he had wasn't of the nervous kind, seeing a dark glint in his eyes. He could tell that Speed was no longer himself, but a man intent on revenge.

" You know, Horatio, that's real damn easy for you to say," Speed shot back as he glared at the red head, " You didn't have your daughter snatched from you ,... your most trusted friend taken... or the woman you loved... I have to do something."

" What ? What is it that you think you can do, Speed?"

" Give him what he has given me," Speed replied with a combination of hatred and frustration in his voice. Time was ticking by for Alexx.

" Which is?"

" Pain." Speed returned simply, turning from Horatio. The stillness of Speed's body gave Horatio an unnerving feeling, kind of like watching the skies turn pitch black before a storm. It gave him a sense of the intensity that was boiling under the surface.

"Speed, you need to go at this the right way..."

" What's the right way, H? Wait for the calvary? Alexx doesn't have that kind of time," Speed responded , his anger building. He took a step away from Horatio, " I'm not going to let another person I care about, die."

" Speed..."

" NO, H! I'm going to put an end to this now."

Horatio moved to put a hand on his shoulder , but Speed shrugged it off before walking away. He couldn't sit around here and wait for Alexx's body to be found. After all that he had put them through, he couldn't let it end like this.

"Speed!" Horatio called out as he followed.

" Don't try and talk me out of it, Horatio."

" I'm not. But, one question..." Horatio said as he put a hand on his arm. Speed stopped and turned towards him, obviously very irritated.

"What is it?"

" How are you going to get there?"

Speed looked down at the pavement and let a small smile drift over his face and conceded, " I'm sorry H. It's just that I can't stand to lose anyone else..."

" I understand , Speed , and we are going to get her back," Horatio said as he put an reassuring hand on his shoulder. For a moment, the old Speed resurfaced and the darkness was replaced with a calmness. " Can you trust me?"

"There's no one else," Speed replied as the energy seeped out of him slightly. Horatio nodded his head and then pulled the keys to the Hummer out. It was time that this thing came to an end.

/Revenge/

Preston turned to see Alexx as she slumped in the chair, seeing her breathing slowly. He glanced at the watch and nodded, walking to her. She had taken a pretty bad beating, but she had the defiance of a lion, and she held on. Preston had to give it to his friends; they were strong , and it wasn't something that he had been prepared for. Usually, his targets gave up easily, information or their lives, and he hadn't had the aggravation of continuing the course of his torture. It saddened him slightly that he would have to do this to her, but he had to get his point across. Speed had to know that he was dealing with season pros, and not some lackluster hustler off of the streets.

He lifted her head to see the bruises starting to form around her eyes and on her cheeks. Her lip had been split and was ballooning . It was a shame that she had to endure this, but it was necessary. He would get what he wanted.

" Sorry about that, love," Preston said as he lightly touched her face. She remained motionless, her breathing steady. " But this isn't a pretty business. I guess someone should've told Speed that."

With a sudden movement, Alexx lifted her knee and planted it squarely in her captors groin, instantly putting him on the ground. She then moved quickly, wincing at the pain that she was feeling in her head, it making her dizzy. As Preston laid on the ground, she put her hands on him and searched him, her bound hands trying to find anything to help her. Her mind ran frantic as she saw the phone, and she fumbled with it. If only she wasn't bound, her movements could be more precise, but she had to work with what she was given , and right now time was a precious commodity that she couldn't waste. She clumsily slipped the phone in the pocket of the scrubs and went on her search for his gun. Finding it, she grabbed it and pointed it at him, letting her anger flood her. She noticed as he was gathering himself and reigned in her emotions, glancing at the door . Getting out of there became her goal.

" You bitch!" Preston growled as he breathed in deeply. " Killing you is gonna be my pleasure."

" Too bad you won't have that pleasure today," Alexx quipped as she stood awkwardly. She eyed the door, trying to listen for any signs of approaching footsteps.

" You better hope like hell you don't get caught," Preston returned as he was gaining control over his pain. The murderous glint had took up residence in his cold eyes.

" I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm getting out of here."

She walked to the door and leaned in to listen. There were no sounds from the other side of the door, and she glanced back at him as he started to get to his feet. Closing her eyes, she exhaled and opened the door. Opening them, she saw no one and she breathed in deeply. She closed the door just as he made his move, and locked in. Inside she could hear him as he cursed and yelled, pounding on the door. Alexx looked down the corridor and saw the door then she heard as someone was coming from the other side of the hall.

She dashed to the door and pushed it open ,slipping through it just as she heard the man open the door.

"She's loose!" she heard him say. "Find her! And shoot her ass on the spot."

Alexx looked up then down as she stood in the stairwell and decided that down was the best place for her to go. She had to figure out a way to get out of the binds and call Speed. If not, she knew that her chances at getting out of here alive would dwindle rapidly.

/ Revenge/

" You sure you want to do this?" Calleigh asked Horatio over the phone. She had to make certain that she was hearing him right. " You want me to take the evidence out?"

" This is the only way," Horatio replied as he gunned the Hummer . The clock was still ticking. "I'll be there in five."

" Alright Horatio, as long as you know what you are doing. I'll have it ready for you."

" Thanks, Calleigh," he replied as he flipped the phone down. He glanced to Speed who was sitting quietly in the passenger seat, seemingly in his own world. He admired the young man for his convictions and his strength. He was so young to have to had endured the pain and suffering that had reared its ugly head, but yet he continued on, fighting for those who no longer had a voice. Horatio suspected that Nia's death had urged him to work harder at that, giving him some sort of peace, but he knew it wasn't that easy. There was still some deep seated pain that Speed had to deal with, and Horatio feared that the pain would take over and a spilt second decision would be made. He didn't want Speed to have to live with that .

"Are you sure you know what you are doing?" Speed asked as he continued to watch the landscape pass.

" I have friends in high places, Speed. Everything is going to be taken care of. Are you okay?"

" I was just thinking of this past week, how I've treated you... all of you like shit. And yet here you are, trying to help me."

"Speed , you are family, and family looks out for family. I just wished that you would've come to me before doing this," Horatio replied as he turned down the familiar street , heading for the lab.

" I'm sorry," Speed responded as he dropped his head. There was so much he would have to explain to his friends, especially Eric. He couldn't shake the image of his eyes as he pulled the trigger.

" We just have to make it right," Horatio said as the phone rang. He glanced at the id, not recognizing the number and answered, " Caine."

" Horatio?" he heard her ask in a weak voice.

"Alexx...?"

At the mention of her name, Speed snapped his head up quickly and turned his attention to Horatio. He saw the relief on his face , but also the distress. There was something wrong.

* * *

Alexx stopped in the stairwell , backing herself into a dark corner. She crouched down, setting the gun in front of her, and began to work on the rope. Her head hurt worse as she tried to focus on her work , but her eyes began to blur. She figured that she had a concussion, but she couldn't dwell on that. Struggling to undo her binds, she felt the urgency fill her and tears began to roll down her bruised cheeks. She wasn't going to give up, but she knew the odds if they found her. 

Finally, she got the ropes off and discarded them, grabbing the gun. She walked to the door and opened it slightly, looking for any signs of the men. When she saw the lighted hall was deserted, she stepped out and let the door shut behind her. In front of her, was a picture window with heavy screens on it. For them to find her, she would have to know where she was. Looking out, she knew exactly where she was. She could see the Atlantic beyond the pier and the many boats that were passing. There was a big black number on the side of the building that she was facing. Smiling, she turned to walk, dialing his number. When the phone rang incessantly, she hung up and called the next number. A wave of relief caught her throat as she heard him pick up.

"Caine."

" Horatio?" she asked as her happiness produced tears. It felt good to hear his voice again.

"Alexx, are you okay? Where are you?" came his questions.

"I'm alright, got a couple of bruises, but I'm going to live... They brought me to the Port of Miami , pier 45," Alexx replied as she looked out the window. She wanted to be certain that she was giving him the right information.

" Okay, alright. You think you can get somewhere to stay put?"

" I'll try Horatio. Have you found Timmy?" Alexx asked fearfully. Through out all of this ,he had been a steady thought, along with her children.

" He's right here," she heard him say. The next voice prompted the tears to flow easily down .

" Alexx?" Speed said quietly.

"Timmy... I'm so glad to hear your voice. Are you okay?"

She could imagine Speed as he smiled to himself over the phone. She couldn't help it, she felt as if he was her eldest child, and she had to make sure that he was okay before she thought about herself.

" I'm fine , Alexx. I'm..."

"Uh huh, suga. Don't you worry about it. Just come to get me, and we can talk later," she replied gazing out into the sea.

" We are coming to get you..."

" I'll b..." she managed before an instant blackness took over. She slumped to the ground slowly , the phone radiating the worry of the sudden silence. A hand reached down to pick up the phone and brought it up to his mouth.

" You better hurry, her time has just ran out," Preston returned as he flipped the phone down. He glanced at her body as she laid unmoving. His revenge would best served cold.

TBC...


	11. Chapter 11

Two Sided Mirror

Chapter 11- Hell breaking loose

Speed cringed at the sudden silence on the other end of the phone, then heard a voice that made his blood run cold.

" You better hurry, her time has just ran out," he heard him say before the line went dead. Speed snapped the phone shut angrily as he turned to Horatio.

" We gotta get to the port, H. Preston's found her."

"Speed, take it easy. We need to get the bait. He's sure that you would give anything to get her back. Play into his hands, then wait until the time is right," Horatio said as he slung the Hummer into the first parking spot he could find.

" This isn't a game, H! He's going to kill her."

" Not if I can help it, Speed. But time's being wasted arguing about it. Besides, you need to change your clothes."

Speed glanced down at his shirt, noticing for the first time that it was covered in Prue's blood. A lump rose in his throat as he lightly touched it. Horatio was right. He needed to keep his head on straight if this was going to end well. He walked with Horatio into the front of the lab, meeting Calleigh in the atrium. When they came face to face, Speed felt an overwhelming need to take her into an embrace, and she allowed him.

" I'm sorry , Cal..."

" Don't," Calleigh returned ,her accent at the edge, " Just bring Alexx back. We will talk later."

Speed smirked at the comment, remembering that Alexx had just told him the same thing. Calleigh lifted a shirt up and presented it to him, and he glanced at her then the shirt and let a smile form. Calleigh shrugged and extended her arm.

" Hey what can I say? I'm prepared for anything."

" Thanks Cal." he returned as he slipped off the bloody shirt he had on and handed it to her. "Can you dispose of this for me?"

" Yeah, now go and get our friend back," she smiled brightly. The memory of his jackass attitude towards her was long forgotten.

As soon as he slipped on the clean shirt, he followed Horatio to the Hummer. Peeling out , the cab was cloaked in silence, both men preparing themselves for what was coming.

* * *

Preston glared down at her as her head hung limply to the side , reaching out to strike her. His fury was evident in the follow through as her head snapped back, jarring her from her pain induced slumber. 

"C'mon and wake up, bitch," Preston said through clenched teeth. " I have to give it to you, you tried. But you are going to pay for it."

"Go to hell," Alexx returned groggily.

" You first," Preston answered as he pulled the gun out and hit her with it. She had to be made an example, but he wasn't going to kill her yet. He wanted to see Speed's face as he pulled the trigger. When he was satisfied that she was out cold, he turned away from her and walked out. He knew that they were on their way.

* * *

Horatio pulled the Hummer up to the pier and sat waiting until he saw a gray SUV with dark tinted windows pull up across the way. Speed glanced between Horatio and the car, trying to figure out what he had planned. Horatio noticed and threw him a smile. 

" I told you I have friends in high places," he answered the unasked question. " I've known Preston Goodman for years , and for years, I 've known that he has been playing both sides. The agent you are about to meet has been working to bring him down."

Speed saw as the agent got out of the SUV and walked over to them. He noticed intently as the man had a gait much like Horatio's and there was something familiar about the dark sunglasses. When the agent came to the Hummer, Horatio rolled down the window and nodded.

"So , big brother needs my help, finally?" he said with a smirk. Speed looked at the man seeing the strong resemblance of him to Horatio. He had reddish brown hair compared to Horatio's flaming red, and his eyes were dark brown. Despite the physical differences, Speed could easily tell that this was Horatio's brother, Raymond.

"Raymond," he said quietly.

" H, and this I take it, is Speed?" Raymond asked as he looked past Horatio.

" Tim Speedle, meet Raymond Caine, my brother."

" Just call me Ray," Ray replied as he nodded his head curtly. He then turned towards Horatio again , " You got the evidence?"

" It's in the back. You know where he is?"

Raymond looked behind him at the rooftops, seeing the men take their positions. This was going to be well organized and controlled; he wanted the pleasure of bringing in Preston himself.

" He's in warehouse 46. There are men placed on the roofs of 44 and 47 and I have some agents in the alleys. This is going to go down smooth."

" I want Preston," Speed added coldly. Preston didn't deserve to have a trial for what he had done.

" No, he comes in unharmed. Horatio, are you going to be able to handle your guy?" Raymond asked as he glanced out to the Atlantic.

" Don't worry about it, Ray. I'll keep him in line. We are here as support."

_Support my ass_, Speed thought as he looked out of his window. He glanced back at the brothers feeling the anger rise in him again, and the energy returned.

"Any word from his captive?" Horatio asked.

" Not a peep, and we don't know where he's holding her. So we are going to be careful," Ray returned. " That's why it's important to be on the same page."

" Don't worry, Ray. I won't kill him," Speed said darkly, "unless he provokes me."

Ray looked at Horatio and said, " Let's make sure that he doesn't get provoked."

Horatio nodded then got out of the Hummer, walking to the back. Speed joined him and Raymond , watching as Horatio handed him the evidence bags with the guns in them. Horatio grabbed a vest and handed it to Speed with a glare that dared him to argue, then he took one for himself. As they slipped their shirts back on, they took a look at each other then to the building.

"Remember, Speed, nice and easy," Horatio cautioned.

" Yeah, nice and easy," Speed replied as he closed his eyes against the tears. He would enter that building with the weight of his daughter, love and friend on his shoulders. It would be what would drive him to end this.

/Hell breaks loose/

Preston stood at the console to see the two men walk up to the door of the warehouse with the evidence bags in their hands. He chuckled to himself at the stupidity of them to think that he would let them live after handing over the guns. But if he knew Horatio Caine like he thought he knew him, there would be some surprises. So he had one of his own. He nodded his head once and the gunman that was with him went out of the room, then came back in swiftly. Preston had a menacing smile on his face as he looked at her. _This is going to be fun_, he thought.

* * *

Speed and Horatio walked to the door and stood there for a moment. Speed turned to Horatio and asked sarcastically, " Well should we knock?" 

Horatio let a snicker escape as he heard the door open, " I guess they already know that we are here."

Instantly they were faced with three men , all with AK 47s pointed directly at them. Horatio lifted his hands over his head to allow them to search him, as so did Speed. When they were through, one gun man snatched the bag from Horatio's grip and backed up to join the duo as they continued to train their guns on them.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you that it was impolite to snatch?" Speed asked smartly. One gun man laughed at him and was quickly put in place by the other one.

"Always quick with the comebacks, huh Speed?" he asked as he walked out from the shadows.

" It's my nature," Speed returned as he glared at him, his hatred flowing through him like hot lava.

" It's so you," Preston said as he glanced over to the side. Instantly, a gunman came to the forefront dragging her by her wrists. As she came into view, Speed sucked in a harsh breath , almost losing it. Her face was covered with bruises as well as open wounds and he could see by the matting of her hair that she had an open wound on her head. The tears brimmed at the edge of his eyes, feeling like burning fire. The urge to kill this man had gotten almost unbearable.

"Timmy," Alexx said softly as the gunman yanked her violently, causing Speed to inch up more. The guns became steadier as they pointed to him. The only thing that was keeping him grounded was the fact that she stood between them.

Preston took hold of her quickly and roughly , bringing her in front of him, and putting his gun to her temple. Horatio could feel Speed's anger as it rolled off of him, and he turned to see slight movement on the catwalk.

" I was thinking, what would be harder for you to see? Was it your daughter as she died on the playground, wearing that pretty pink jump suit, or Prue as she died on the operating table? Or maybethis one as she dies in your arms?", Preston asked as gripped her tightly and glared at him from behind her. Speed could barely contain his fury and he closed his eyes at the mention of their names, trying to push that pain back down.

_Don't fight it_, a voice said deep within him, _Use it._

" Alexx, it's going to be okay," Speed said calmly. She sent her fear through her eyes, and he held on to the sight of them, not wanting to see it ,but it adding fuel to his fire.

" Yes, Alexx, it's going to be okay," Preston returned as he whispered in her ear, causing her to shudder violently. He returned his attention back to Horatio and Speed, " Shame, you came all the way here and couldn't save her, just to die yourselves."

"This isn't over, Preston," Horatio said as he saw the men advance quietly.

One of the men noticed Horatio's glance and turned to see the men, and promptly opened fire. The other two turned and started to open fire along with their comrades, leaving Preston to face Speed and Horatio himself. He held Alexx tightly to him as he watched them both fill their hands with guns that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. He backed up slowly and heard as more gunfire begin on the upper floors of the vast warehouse. His eyes darted from Speed to Horatio then back to Alexx.

"Come near me, and she gets a bullet in her skull, " Preston said as he drugged her by her arm. She looked back at them with worry.

" Don't worry, Alexx!" Speed said as he held his gun steady. He kept his eyes on them as he moved from the line of fire by more of Preston's men joining the gunfight. Horatio moved as well, getting separated from Speed, concentrating on keeping the fire away from him. He knew that if he lost eye contact with him, it was a fatal mistake. Preston had sent Speed over the edge with his anger and he saw in the young CSI, the familiar glint of revenge as it descended over him.

As the gunfire intensified, Horatio looked over to find Speed, only to see the space that he occupied , empty. He had gone after his revenge.

* * *

Speed watched in anger as he pulled Alexx with him, heading for the catwalks. He advanced on them quickly, drawing his fire. He smiled inside ,knowing that if he was firing at him, the gun wasn't at her head. Following them to the stairs, he kept his gun steady pointing it upward, wanting to squeeze the trigger, but not certain he could get a clear shot. The images that ran through his mind were of his daughter as they sat on the swings that day 

" _I love you , Daddy," _

and of Prue and the night that they had shared

" _Shh, Tim , it's okay... it's okay... Let it out"_...

He closed his eyes shutting the tears out, then opened them, feeling the rage behind them. The tears sat at the edge of his eyes, and he let them drop, letting go. The fear of losing control was no longer in him, and he advanced on them in confidence.

Preston stood with Alexx still in front of him as he came to a dead end. He glared at Speed with hatred in his eyes and gripped his gun tightly as he aimed it at him.

" Tim!" Alexx screamed as he held the gun out.

" It's alright, Alexx," Speed returned calmly and steadied his gun on Preston.

Preston pulled the trigger and sent Speed sprawling back, and Alexx cried out as she saw him lying on the floor of the cat walk, not moving.

" He didn't put up much of a fight," Preston said as he turned her around to face him. " Too bad I couldn't torture him with your death."

" You bastard!" Alexx yelled as used all the energy she had left to fight him off, once again, connecting her knee to his groin.

She took his moment of pain and made a run for it, seeing Speed as he began to move again. Shocked, she dove for him, feeling the stinging sensation before hearing the shot. She came to rest next to Speed as he opened his eyes. He saw her eyes close and felt the sorrow as it crept back inside of him, unleashing a new wave of rage. He got up slowly as he filled his hands with his gun, steadying it against him. Preston was still hunched over, trying to gather himself as he advanced on him, his eyes being blinded by the intense pain his grief had allowed to surface. Preston smiled at him as he straightened up some, bringing his gun up to eye level.

" You know, Carrie really had it bad for you," Preston said as he caught his breath.

" Carrie? What does she have anything to do with this?"

"Well , my sister, wanted her revenge on you for what you did," Preston said as he gained his bearings.

" Your sister?" Speed asked truly stunned. He couldn't believe that his precious daughter was a blood relative to this jackass.

" You dated her for almost a year and you didn't know her family. That spoke volumes about what kind of man you are."

"Carrie wanted it like that. She was never serious about a relationship. Even when she got pregnant," Speed returned as his mind processed the events as they were unfolding.

" She never wanted a child, she just wanted you."

"So she makes my daughter suffer for seven years because we weren't together? She wasn't the most upstanding woman," Speed shot back.

Preston ignored his remark continuing, " Then came Prudence Kruss, that bitch drove my sister nuts. Right around the time you took custody of that brat."

It was becoming clear to him. This all was because of revenge.

" Let's say we made arrangements to have her recruited into the ATF," Preston said, " losing a family member can do that."

" You killed her sister?"

" Yes, and it drove you two apart. She wasn't talking to you, and it came between you. Carrie was very happy to say the least. Then we had to get rid of the little girl. Carrie used her new boyfriend in the gun running business to help us with that. It was just kismet that he turned out to be the guy you arrest. He called his 'homeys' and arranged for a little accident. They followed you until the time was right. At the park that day,..."

" Preston... don't," Speed warned. He had heard enough. It stung him to the core that his daughter's mother wanted her dead.

" When she went across the street to get the ball..."

" Preston..."

" They weren't supposed to hit you. But I considered it a bonus. I saw as she fell, the bullets going through her back," Preston recalled almost gleefully. " That little bitch deserved it."

Speed could contain it no longer and he lunged at Preston, narrowly missing the bullet as he knocked the gun out of Preston's hand. He wrestled with him before throwing a punch to his jaw, feeling it shift under his fist. Preston howled in pain and managed to block the next blow, then throwing one of his own, hitting Speed in the cheek. Speed stumbled back some , but then returned into the attack, throwing punches to Preston's stomach and face, seeing nothing but his beautiful daughter's face...

_He opened his eyes, to see dark brown ones staring back at him. Squinting, he smiled at her as she smiled wildly back at him, pulling at the sheets. He tugged on it playfully, inciting shrieks of laughter from her. The light of the sun provided a halo for her as he sat up and looked at her with loving eyes_...

His anger was unleashed as he saw the blood on his fist,and he continued to pummel him...

_Daddy!" she said as she pulled the sheets off of her, messing her long dark hair. He turned and snickered at her, and she threw a pillow at him, hitting him on the head._

" _So you want to throw pillows , huh?" he said as he advanced on her, " you have a good aim, but can it match the tickle?"_

" _Oh no, daddy, not the tickle... Please, daddy," _...

She never had another beautiful sunshine filled day...she would never feel his love again... she would never find out how good life could be...

" _I love you , Daddy," she said as she hugged him tightly. _

As the images assaulted him, Speed felt himself losing control more. This man was responsible for his pain, his loss. He felt as the bones crunched under his blows, they feeding his pain. Nothing could stop him as he exacted his final retribution on him, but he felt a strong hand grab his as he prepared to lower it for what could've been the death blow.

"Speed!" Horatio said as he held the young man with a strong hand. He struggled against his strength , knowing that it was hatred that was fueling him. " Don't do this..."

" He killed my baby," Speed said as he looked at what was left of Preston's face. It had become a bloody pulp under his hand, yet that wasn't enough satisfaction for him. He wanted to see him dead.

"Speed, don't let this dictate you. Don't become him," Horatio said softly into his ear. He desperately wanted to reach the Tim Speedle he knew. Speed felt his anger ebb as he listened. His eyes began to water as he held his fist in mid air.

" Do it,... punk...ass..." Preston spat, his blood pouring out of his mouth.

"Speed, listen... Do you think that Nia would want this? She would want you to do what's right, right?"

Speed smiled at the memory of her , correcting him about his sarcastic remarks, and dropped his fist.

"She wouldn't want this,"Speed replied softly as he let Preston go. Horatio stood behind him and supported him as he wavered slightly. All the pain and rage had left him spent. Preston slumped to the ground breathing heavily as several agents made their way up the catwalk towards them.

As he passed them, he could hear one agent say, " Damn," as they looked upon Preston.

Speed turned his attention to Alexx as she laid on the floor, he eyes wide open. He knelt down and looked at her, and she looked back with a tear filled expression and spoke, " Timmy..."

" Shh, Alexx, you are going to be okay," he comforted her. As he moved a strand of her hair out of her eyes, he saw the blood on his hands and cringed at what his anger could do.

" I've never been shot before," she replied quietly with a small smile on her face.

" I'm sorry , Alexx."

" It's okay, Timmy. I know that you didn't mean it," she said as she lifted a hand to touch his bruised cheek, the one mark he had out of this confrontation. The paramedics came with a board and loaded her up, preparing to carry her down.

She cried out in pain as they shifted her, and Speed glared at them, " Be careful with her."The paramedics nodded and he looked back down at her again, " I'll see you at the hospital."

She nodded and closed her eyes as they started down the stairs carefully. He watched her as they placed her on the gurney and wheeled her out to the ambulance. After he was sure that she was alright, he turned to his LT and threw him a smile of gratitude. If he hadn't been there, Speed would've submitted to his murderous intentions, making him no better than Preston.

Horatio smiled back at him and turned to face the group of agents that surrounded Preston, seeing his brother as he rose and approach them.

" I thought that you said that you were going to watch him," Raymond asked as he glanced at Speed.

" It couldn't be helped, Ray," Horatio returned as he glanced at Speed. He noticed as the fury had been drained and all that was left was the emptiness of the pain for Prue that was sure to follow him .

" We caught the gun runner as he was attempting to make a run for it after the shooting began. He's going to go up for a very long time. As for Preston," Ray said as he looked back at the paramedics helping him, and then to Speed, " if he lives, he's definitely looking at life. Although, personally, I think he would've wanted Speed here to finish him off. Inmates don't tend to like ATF agents."

" Revenge is better served cold," Horatio responded as he turned to Speed. " You ready?"

" Yeah," Speed returned softly. His body all of a sudden felt tired and he could barely walk. " I want to go to the hospital. I have to start the mending ."

Horatio nodded and lead him down the catwalk and out to the Hummer. The ride to the hospital was silent as both men took stock of what had happened. Speed found the silence to be comforting, and he felt a warmness flow back into him. The pain of his daughter was no longer there, only the beautiful memories of her life.

* * *

Speed walked into the emergency room and immediately found himself being strapped to a gurney. He tried to tell them that he was okay, but they didn't listen . It wasn't until they had taken his shirt off did they find that he wasn't in any distress. It was the blood that had got them. Horatio smiled at him as he pulled his shirt on and walked to the bathroom to wash his hands. 

When Speed returned, he saw a nurse talking to Horatio in an animated fashion.

As she took her leave, Speed asked, " What was that about H?"

"Alexx is stabilized," Horatio answered. "She got a bullet to the shoulder, but she's going to be okay. They are going to keep her for a while until she heals completely."

Speed felt a heaviness lift off of him as he turned to see another nurse heading straight for him. She stopped at him and smiled politely, getting the feeling that it was more of admiration than business.

" Are you Detective Speedle?" she asked as she blushed.

" Yes."

" I have some news for you. We weren't able to reach you on the number you left..."

" Yes, what is it?" Speed asked hearing his voice crack.

" It's about Ms. Kruss... It seems that they were able to revive her ... She made it out of surgery..."

"What?" Speed asked dumbfounded. Did he hear that correctly? Was Prue alive?

" She made it out of surgery , but she is in recovery right now and under heavy sedation. You should be able to see her within three hours. She's going to be in room," the nurse said as she looked down at the chart, " room 214."

Speed felt as if the world had exploded and he stood there, speechless. Horatio smiled and thanked the nurse as he cupped Speed on the shoulder.

"Speed, I think you need to be there when she comes out of it."

"Huh..."

"Speed , Prue is alive." Horatio said as he tried to gain focus of him.

Speed gazed out at nothing then quickly came back to his senses, " I heard."

" That's all you can say is ' I heard'?"

" I'm rejoicing inside, H," Speed said as he smiled brightly and turned to go to the elevators. Horatio watched him get on and smiled himself. He saw the old Tim Speedle resurface as the doors slid shut. A happy Tim Speedle.

TBC...


	12. Chapter 12

Two Sided Mirror

Chapter 12 -Rebuilding

Speed poised his hand over the door, unsure if he needed to be here. The feeling he had at the moment was one of happiness, but as he stood there in front of his door, he felt less than worthy to even see him. He had betrayed their friendship, although it had been for a good reason, but none the less , it was still betrayal.

Gathering his senses, he knocked sharply at the door and waited for him to answer. When he didn't hear anything, he knocked again.

"Come in."

Speed opened the door and slowly entered the room, keeping his eyes adverted. There was no way that he could face him with the guilt he had on his heart. As the door closed, he felt his best friend's eyes bore into him, and he shifted his weight uneasily. This was not going to be easy.

" What the hell are you doing here?" Eric asked as he looked away from him. " Come to finish the job?"

"Delko, you got to know that I didn't mean..."

" You didn't mean to shoot me? Well you did, you asshole," Eric returned ,his anger very apparent. Speed continued to stand in his one spot, not moving. How could he apologize if he wasn't going to listen?

" It was a undercover thing, Delko. I couldn't tell anyone, not Horatio , Calleigh, Alexx, or you."

" Why? Why did you shoot me?"

" I had to. There was nothing else that I could do. You had me trapped with a gun to my head," Speed tried to explain. He knew that this was falling on deaf ears.

" You could've told me."

" I couldn't."

" Yes you could've. We were your friends , Speed. We trusted you."

" I know, and for that I'm sorry," Speed replied as he hung his head down. This was tearing him up inside; he wasn't used to his best friend being like this. " It was something I had to do."

" Well , I hope it was worth it, because our friendship is shot to shit," Eric responded hatefully.

"Delko..."

" Get out," Eric growled.

"Eric.., I ..."

"Speed, I said get the hell out!"

Speed glanced up at him, seeing the hatred in his expression, and turned reaching for the door. He hesitated for a moment then swung the door open. The door closed silently as he made his way to the elevators, knowing that his friendship with Eric Delko was officially done.

/Rebuilding/

Alexx laid on her side as she tried to rest, feeling the achiness in her bones. This ordeal had tested her, and she felt relieved that she had made it out alive. A part of her wanted to blame Speed for this, but then she knew that he had done this for Nia. In order for him to live again, he had to find justice for Nia. She was content to know that this had helped him find that peace.

She turned slowly to see him sitting in a chair next to her, with a sad smile on his face. His eyes told the story of a man who was weary and ready to let go of the pain that he was holding on to. Turning, she put a hand on his cheek and gave him her best smile, hoping that it would help.

" I didn't hear you come in, Timmy," Alexx said as she placed her hand in his.

" I thought that you were sleep. I didn't want to disturb you."

" You could never do that," she returned as she looked at him, " I see there's still something bothering you. If you are worried about me..."

" I just went to see Eric. He basically told me to piss off," Speed sighed. The weight of his choices hung off of him.

" You've got to give him time, Timmy. He's got to process this."

" I tried to apologize to him, Alexx. He didn't want to hear it."

" He'll understand," Alexx returned softly.

" Meanwhile , I have to wait until hell freezes over to get a word in edgewise. God, I hate what I have done to you. All of you," Speed said as he dropped his head. This had all been too much for him.

" I understand, Timmy. It was something that you thought you had to do. Don't beat yourself up about this."

" But... You... Eric... you guys could've been killed."

" True," Alexx said as she raised an eyebrow, " but we weren't. Don't hold this in, Tim. Got it?"

Speed looked at her and smiled, she returning it before wincing in pain. He moved to help her and she gave him another small smile, shaking her head.

" Are you okay?" he asked as he touched her wrist. The bond between her and him was stronger, and he felt a sense of peace in her prescence. No matter what was going on with him, he could always trust Alexx.

" I'm fine. Just need the rest."

" I'll go..."

" Timmy,... you don't..." Alexx said before he put a finger to his lips and shook his head.

" I'll go, so you can rest. No arguments, okay?"

Alexx nodded and gave his hand a squeeze as he stood. She was content knowing that her boy was fine. All of the other stuff would come naturally.

/Rebuilding/

He pushed the door open slowly, noticing immediately the atmosphere in this room. It was as if a breath was being held until being told to let go. He walked quietly to her side, taking in the IV that snaked from the bag to her hand, and the paddles that were adhered to her chest. Despite this and possibly the pain, she looked peaceful. He sat down next to her and grabbed her hand, feeling the warmness of it, letting a broad smile come to his face. If it was warm, it stood as a testament that she was still with him.

"Prue, I'm glad that you are okay. I thought I lost you there for a moment," he said with a tiny smile. " You have no idea what losing you had done to me."

He pushed her hair out of her eyes, noticing for the first time , how pale she was, and his heart pulled at him. Once again, his choices had put someone he loved in danger. Hanging his head ,he let the tears come, feeling the heaviness of the moment. How could he had justified this? True, his need to find peace for Nia was strong, but was it worth losing those who were still with him?

As if she heard his thoughts, Prue spoke softly, " You didn't lose us ,Tim."

Speed glanced up to see her looking weakly at him, giving him a brilliant smile. She squeezed his hand lightly as she closed her eyes slightly.

"Prue?" he asked fearfully.

" You aren't going to get rid of me that easily, Speed," She returned slowly with a hint of sarcasm. Tim laughed, instantly feeling the weight being lifted off of his shoulders as he kissed her cheek , then caressed it with his hand. There was no way he could bottle in what he was feeling at this moment.

" I would never think of it, Prue. I love you too much," he replied as he grasped at her hand more, the need to have contact with her coursing through him.

" I must be delusional," Prue said , drowsily, " because I thought you just said that you loved me."

" It's not the anesthesia, Prue. I love you. Always have , just took some time to see it."

" Thick headed," Prue responded as she fought to keep her eyes open.

Tim snickered slightly as he noticed her battle, " You rest."

" Tim,..."

" Prue, I'll be here. Don't worry."

Prue nodded as she drifted back into a slumber, saying almost in a whisper, " I love you, Tim."

Tim kissed her on the lips softly then sat back in the chair, watching her chest rose with each breath. She was okay, they all were okay. Now he had to start to heal.

TBC...


	13. Chapter 13

Two Sided Mirror

Chapter 13 - Epilogue - Power of Goodbye

**Two Months Later...**

Speed woke up with a heaviness on his chest. It had been there for sometime now, every since the ordeal had gone down. Despite the fact that everyone was well ; Alexx, Eric and Prue were out of the hospital, and Calleigh had been returned to duty, Speed still felt the pressure of something weighing against him. He knew in part what that was, but by advice given, he decided that he would let time take care of it. It didn't make working with Eric Delko any better though.

In the months that had passed, Eric continued to hold on to his anger against him. As hard as he tried, he couldn't let go of the fact that his best friend had shot him. And Tim couldn't blame him, but he desperately wanted to put this behind him and work to save their friendship. Eric had some trust issues with him, but he still had all the trust in the world in his best friend.

Speed rolled over and pushed the covers off of him, careful not to disturb the sleeping form next to him. He glanced her way, feeling satisfied that she was there and leaned over to kiss her lightly. She stirred , and he pulled back, watching her beauty as she smiled lightly but continued sleeping. He wondered how he could've been so lucky to have her in his life. She had saved him from himself in more ways than one.

" I love you," he whispered in her ear. She stirred some and turned over, he smiled and got up.

He stood in front of his closet for almost ten minutes, lost in thought. As much as he said his choices were for Nia, he never felt like it was enough. She was still gone, and despite the attempts to let go of his grief, he never felt like it would decrease. Her death had left him empty, that space being unable to be occupied by any other. Sighing, he selected his clothes and headed to the shower. Another day, another way to figure how to live with his hurt.

When he finished his shower and dressed ,he could smell the beginnings of a breakfast and hear the rattling of the pans down in the kitchen. Walking down the stairs, the aroma overtook him and he all of a sudden felt ravenous. Usually , he didn't eat breakfast, but now with Prue in his life, he rarely had a choice in the matter, and it made no never mind to him. Turning into the kitchen ,he saw her over the stove, keeping her eyes on the eggs in the pan while she prepared the toast. The long brown curly hair had been pulled up into a messy ponytail , and she wore a long lose robe over her. Speed inwardly smiled to himself as he approached her, feeling the need to touch her. She lifted her head as he stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, eliciting a small laugh from her.

" Tim, I swear, you're going to scare the life out of me one day," she said as she felt his breath on her ear, it driving her wild with desire.

" I didn't want to disturb genius at work," he whispered lovingly. The close proximity was driving him insane, and he fought with the desire to take her back up to the bed room.

" You are too kind, wrong, but kind. You want some?"

" Anything from you," he replied seductively. She had that effect on him.

" Okay, Tim, step back before you find yourself late for work."

"They can do it without me," he replied as he nuzzled closer to her.

" Right, and you want someone in your lab, going over your things?" Prue asked as she finished with the eggs and turned the stove off. She then turned to face him, being greeted with those amazing brown eyes. Her heart skipped a beat when she looked into them, because she knew that the love she saw in them was for her.

" You make a good point, Agent Kruss. Can I at least get a kiss?" Speed asked as he smiled down at her.

" That I can do," she returned as she tilted her head up to receive his lips. They stood there for a moment , entangled in the softness of the kiss, parting only to gasp for air. When he pulled away, he saw her brilliant smile and felt the warmness creep back into him.

He held on to her for a moment longer before he turned to grab a plate. She grabbed one herself and followed him out to the breakfast nook. Placing her plate down, she glanced over to him as he began to eat, her heart swelling. In the months since her discharge from the hospital, she had once again fallen in love with him, and she was surprised to find that he felt the same about her . They made no mistake about their burgeoning relationship, and soon they were living together. In her time with him, she saw everything that made him; his happiness, his comfort, and his sadness. It hurt her to see him still contend with his grief, but she knew that in some ways , it would never leave him. He had lost the most important thing in his life so suddenly, without the opportunity to say goodbye. She knew that it was what haunted him the most.

" So , what's on tap today?" she asked as she placed her fork on the plate strategically.

"Work," Speed said with a glance to her, his brow knitted. He knew that she had something brewing under the surface. " Why?"

" I don't know, I thought that we could spend sometime together, maybe during lunch. Take a walk."

"A walk?"

" Yeah, you know the thing you do with your legs, one out in front of the other," Prue returned sarcastically. She had to speak his language sometimes to get through to him.

" Why do I have the feeling that I'm being set up?" he asked as he finished.

" Why does it have to be a set up? What's the harm in a walk?"

" One doesn't ask another for a walk without ulterior motives. There is something you want," Tim deduced.

"Always the CSI. I just wanted to talk is all."

"Talk? Like what we are doing here? Why do we need the walk?" he asked grinning , knowing that she was growing irritable with the conversation.

"Alright, alright, I thought that it would be a good time to go see Nia," Prue said slowly as she looked into his eyes to gage his feelings. And as she expected , she saw him draw away instantly.

" W-Why?"he asked , looking down at his plate, his appetite gone.

" Because , Tim, you need some closure. You need to say goodbye," Prue said as she got up. She approached him tenderly, feeling the sadness that came off of him. Her heart broke as she stood in front of him, reaching her hand out to him. " I think today, ...today is the day, Tim. You've carried this around for so long. It's time to say goodbye."

" I don't want to. I don't want to say goodbye to her, Prue. It hurts too much," Speed replied as the tears traced the edges of his eyes.

" It hurts to hold on. Tim, she wouldn't want you to live like this. She would want you to be happy."

" I can't be happy. She's not here. Her life,... her life was taken before she could do anything. I can't forget that."

"I'm not asking you to do that, Tim. What I'm asking is for you to let go, tell her goodbye. Tell her you miss her, tell her you love her and that you'll never forget her, but tell her," Prue returned emphatically. She sat next to him and held his hand to let him know that she was there for him.

They sat in silence for a moment then Speed spoke up softly, " I don't know if I can. I- I mean, I haven't been to see her since she died. I couldn't concede that she was no longer here."

" That's what I am here for, Tim. I can help you if you want me to . I'll stand by you. But this is something you have to do. For yourself," she said as she placed a hand on his cheek, lifting his head up to face her. The amount of pain that still swam in his eyes, still tugged on her, and now more than ever she wanted him to confront this. " Will you?"

Speed gazed at the woman before him, feeling a hint of relief that she was here. He knew that she was right, he had to confront what it was that still had him. He had to go to her and tell her all the things that he couldn't before. Giving her a small smile, he nodded his head . She placed another hand on his other cheek, cupping his face and gave him a soft kiss. When she pulled away, she gently wiped the tears that had burst forth.

" Meet you at twelve then?" Prue asked, still looking for any apprehension.

" Yes, twelve. If anything comes up, I'll call you."

"Sounds good to me. You going to be okay?"

" I think so, Prue," Speed said with a sigh. He wasn't looking forward to what he hadcommitted himself to do, but he knew it had to be done. He glanced down at his watch and then back to her, rising, " I gotta go. Thanks, ... for everything."

She watched him walk out of the door, sure that everything from this point was going to be better.

/ Power of Goodbye/

It had started fast.Speed was in the break room at the refrigerator when Eric had entered, and he looked up to see him, turning around to walk out. Speed closed the refrigerator , then moved to stop Eric from walking out. Whatever they had brewing between each other, Speed felt the need to get it out in the open and deal with it.

" Delko, it's been two months, don't you think we should talk about it?" Speed asked as he stood in front of the door. Delko had a irritable look about him as he tried to move past Tim, only for him to counter, keeping him from the door.

"What's there to talk about? You shot me. End of story," Eric returned plainly.

" You haven't listened to me yet. I have been trying to tell you why I did it..."

" You were undercover, I heard that excuse."

" That's right , but you don't know the real reason."

" There's a real reason for shooting your best friend?"

"Delko, if you'll just listen..."

"I'm not interested."

"Stop being thick headed and listen to me, Eric!" Speed said as he raised his voice slightly. He was thankful that it was only the two of them there. He could feel the enormous amount of anger wafting off of him and he steadied himself. " Would you just for one minute?"

Eric stood back and crossed his arms at his chest, "Alright , you got sixty seconds."

" Good. Eric , you know the reason why I took it don't you?"

" To avenge Nia."

" That was my main motivation, but it was something else. There were some rumblings that the lab was going to be ambushed because of the case that I worked and the case that you and Calleigh were working. They were connected."

" Okay..."

" So when I was approached about that , I took it, knowing that I would have to betray each of your trust in me. You gotta know that I didn't come to this decision lightly. It took a lot out of me.," Speed said looking into his friend's eyes. " There's nothing more precious to me than your friendship, Eric."

" It wasn't too precious when you pulled the trigger, Speed. I saw the look in your eyes. There was no hesitation. You meant it."

" I didn't! Can't you see that? Everything was a role. The attitude, the secrets,...It was done to save you."

" You have a funny way of saving someone. I'm through with this," Eric said as he moved to go. Tim stood in front of him, making Eric more and more angrier.

"Speed, move."

Speed had to think fast, knowing that if Delko left the break room, this would never get resolved. " It's not like the bullet hit you, Eric."

"What the hell did you just say to me?" Eric asked as he unfolded his arms.

" The bullet didn't come anywhere near your skin, Delko. The kelvar saved you."

In a matter of seconds, Eric was on him, tackling him to the floor. Speed saw the movement coming and braced himself against it, allowing himself to be taken down. Eric pulled back and landed a punch , hitting Speed in the eye. It was over as fast as it started and Speed saw through the pain of his eye as Horatio stood in between him and Eric. Speed glanced at Eric ,seeing the fury that had boiled to the surface as he stood patiently behind Horatio.

" Feel better now, Delko?" Speed asked as he held his eye. Calleigh had come in behind Horatio and looked at him, seeing the bruise as it started to form.

" I think, Speed, that you need to leave him alone," Horatio said as he held Eric back. " Eric come with me."

Eric glanced at Horatio then back at Speed as he was getting himself looked after from Alexx who had walked in a second after Calleigh. Horatio walked the fuming Cuban out of the break room, continuing to keep himself between Eric and Speed.

" I hope there was a point in that," Alexx said as she continued to look at the eye.

" Me too," Speed returned as he winced against the pain. All he had to do now is wait.

* * *

Eric walked into the trace lab with samples from the case they were working on, looking at Speed as he peered into the microscope. When he looked up , he saw the black ring around his eye and winced. Coming to the table, he put the samples down and stood silently next to him. 

" So, Ali, are you feeling better?" Speed asked as he glanced from him to the microscope.

" You asked for it, Speed. I couldn't help it anymore."

" I know, but I had to do something."

"So taunting me was something? You know how much damage I could've done?"

" You mean try to do?"

" What? Have you taken a look at your eye?" Eric asked with a smile.

" I let you do that," Speed replied as he came up from the microscope once more. " So are we cool?"

" Yeah, we're cool. Just don't do it again. And you might need to get a steak for that eye. It's taking away from your furrowed brow look."

" Furrowed brow look? That's a new one," Speed said as he put his hands on the samples. " What do we have?"

" Samples found near the vic at the scene. It could tell us where he's been," Eric said easily.

Speed nodded his head and prepared the samples for analysis. The tension in the air had been deflated and it seemed as if the friendship had been salvaged. Speed felt the heaviness lift slightly, but knew what he still had to do.

/Power of Goodbye/

The breeze blew lightly as he walked hand in hand with her to the stone. He hadn't been there since the day that she was put to rest, and it hit him like a ton of bricks to come face to face with the cold stone that represented her. He stood silently as the tears flowed freely, not trying to mask his grief any longer. He wanted to reach out to touch the stone, but his hands felt as if they were stuck to his side. Prue held on to his arm as he stood there, and felt sadness come to her as well. Her time with Nia was short, but in that time, she had known the special way that the little girl had gotten to her father. She handed him the bouquet of flowers and he took it, moving from Prue slowly. He sat on his haunches and placed the bouquet by the stone. He sat there for a moment, lost in his own thoughts, and Prue took it as a time that he needed to be alone, so she stepped back and walked away, staying within reaching distance in case he needed her. She recognized his need to be alone, and she respected it.

Speed continued to gaze at the gray stone that held her birth date and the end of her life, feeling the need to say something, but it being choked by the ever present tears, so he sat there in silence.

When he did find his voice, it came out tiny and strained, " Nia... I'm sorry. Sorry for so many things."

The silence that returned to him was deafening , and he bent his head down , gathering his voice again. He had to do this.

" There have been so many times, Nia that I wished that you were still here. You left me before your time. You were supposed to be with me, we were supposed to do everything together. But now..." he said as the tears overwhelmed him. He wept harshly before he was able to begin again, unsure if he wanted to finish. It was tearing him apart to face the finality of this. " I- I miss you so much, Nia. I wished that it was me instead of you. You had so much to live for, a whole life ahead of you. Now , all I have of you are memories."

The wind picked up a little and he closed his eyes, feeling the peace starting to come. He knew that she understood. He opened them and reached out his hand to touch the stone, its cold hard feeling producing more tears. With his hand still there, he leaned over and kissed the stone lightly and then stood up. Looking down at the stone, he took in a deep breath and closed his eyes again as if burning her into his conscious.

"_Daddy, push me on the swings..."_

" _Daddy,... What is DNA?..."_

"_Daddy, I love you..."_

He opened his eyes and smiled before saying, " I love you, Nia. You'll always be in my heart."

The wind blew again, and Speed glanced at Prue who was standing patiently to the side, watching him.

He bent over the stone and spoke in a hush tone with a small grin, " Now , daddy needs a little help with this," as Prue started to walk over to him. She took in the sight of him, noticing that the debilitating pain that had taken residence up in his eyes, was gone. She put her hand on his arm as she came to his side, and glanced down at the stone.

" Are you okay?" she asked.

" Yeah, I think I'm going to be fine," he replied as he looked up at her. She winced again at the bruise around his eye and laughed lightly. " What's so funny?"

" I was just thinking, if that didn't work with Eric, what were you going to do?" Prue asked as she gestured towards the eye.

" That I was going to have to save all my strength. Eric may be lanky, but he's still a forced to be reckoned with."

"Well in that case, I'm glad that it worked out. Are you ready?"

He looked down at the stone and touched it one last time, nodding his head, " Yeah. Let's go."

Prue looked at the stone as well and then to him. She knew her part in his life now. As they walked to the road, Speed felt as if he was finally at one with himself. No longer did he have to look at himself through a two sided mirror.

The End.

A/N: Done! I would like to thank all of you who read and reviewed! It really makes a difference to me! And To Nikki and Deb, you guys are the greatest! Look for the sequel to come after the holidays!


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